^4- 


^c 


"  The  Kaiser  was  attireil  in  liis  most  magniticent  costume,  wearing  the 
famous  winged  helmet  on  his  head,  and  surrounded  by  a  galaxy  of 
ministers  and  great  officers,  all  arrayed  in  the  utmost  military 
splendour." 


Secret  History  of 
To-Day 

Being  Revelations  of  a  Diplomatic  Spy 


By 

Allen  Upward 

Author  of  "  Secret!  of  the  Courts  of  Europe  ' 
"  Trcaion,"  etc. 


Illustrated 


(i.   P.  Putnam's   Sons 

New  York  and  London 

Zbe    Vtntcherbochcr  prcBB 

1904 


CONTENTS 


I 

PAGE 

THE  TELEGRAM   WHICH   BEGAN   THE   BOER   WAR       .  1 


II 

THE   BLOWING   UP   OF   THE    'MAINE'  ,  ,  .  31 

ITT 

THE   MYSTERY    OF   CAPTAIN    DREYFUS      ...  66 

IV 

WHAT   WAS    BEHIND   THK   TSAR's   PEACE   RESCRIPT  .  91 

V 

WHO   REALLY    KILLED    KING   HUMBERT     .  .  .120 

VI 

THE   PERIL   OF   NORWAY 146 


iv     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 


VII 

PAQB 

THE  RUSE  OF  THE   DOWAGER   EMPRESS  .  ,  .         170 


VIII 

THE   ABDICATION    OF   FRANCIS-JOSEPH      .  .  .         191 

IX 

THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA    ,     ,     .     .217 

X 

THE   POLICY   OF   EDWARD    VII 242 

XI 

THE   HUMBERT    MILLIONS 264 

XII 

THE   BLACK   POPE 288 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAQK 


"  The  Kaiser  was  attired  in  his  most  magnificent  costume, 
wearing  the  famous  winged  helmet  on  his  head,  and 
surrounded  by  a  galaxy  of  ministers  and  great  officers, 
all  arrayed  in  the  utmost  military  splendour." 

Frontispiece 

"  A  glance  at  the  cheval  glass  showed  me  a  stiff,  well  set- 
up Prussian  ofiicial." ^" 

"  '  I  have  sent  for  you,  in  two  words,  to  find  out  for  me 

the  authorship  of  this  telegram,'  the  Kaiser  said."      .       12 

"  '  Mv  God!'  he  cried  out.     '  Who  has  done  this?    I  shall 

22 
be  ruined  !  '  

"'We  shall  find  out  whether  he  is  a  priest,'  was  the 

retort." ^^ 

"She  would  talk  about  her  convent."         ....      48 

"  '  Father  Kehler  has  been  good  enough  to  visit  a  poor 
sailor  who  is  lying  sick  on  board,'  he  said,  in  a  tone 
evidently  meant  to  rebuke  my  impertinence."    .        .       50 

"'As  to  that— impossible!'  he  exclaimed  with  vigour 
'  That  is  our  secret— ours,  you  understand.' " 

"  '  Am  I  under  arrest  too? '  Prince  Pierre  demanded  with 

72 
some  indignation. '* 

"The  Tsar  now  interposed  in  a  tone  of  more  authority 
than  I  had  ventured  to  hope  for.     '  Do  you  suggest, 

M.  V. ,  that  the  whole  staff  of  the  French  army 

are  engaged  in  a  conspiracy  to  forge  documents?'" 


62 


88 


vi  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

"  *  Your  Majesty  must  judge  me  by  what  I  have  done  al- 
ready. Two  days  ago  you  had  never  heard  my  name. 
Now  I  am  here,  alone  with  you,  with  a  loaded  re- 
volver in  my  pocket.'    The  Sultan  started  violently."      98 

"  It  was  a  singular  scene,  as  I  stood  there  laying  down  pile 
after  pile  of  greasy  ten-thousand-rouble  notes  on  a 
richly  inlaid  table." 106 

"There  at  my  feet,  along  the   widening  valley,  lay  a 
double  line  of  rails,  and  all  across  the  level  space 
stretched  low  banks  and  ditches — the  lines  of  a  vast 
encampment,  capable  of  accommodating  half  a  mil- 
lion men." 116 

'  I  walked  past  him  without  a  word."        ....     126 

' '  I  am  not  under  anybody's  orders,'  I  said,  rising  to  my 
feet." 130 

' '  You  are  free,'  he  said  briefly.  '  The  right  man  has 
been  arrested,  too  late.'  " 144 

' '  Let  me  see  your  warrant,'  I  said."  ....     158 

'  He  bent  forward  to  listen,  and  as  he  did  so  I  launched 
my  clenched  fist  at  his  right  temple  with  my  full 
force." 164 

'  I  watched  the  brave  monarch  read  it  through  from  be- 
ginning to  end  without  one  manifestation  of  dismay. "    1 68 

'  Finally  he  turned  his  back  without  a  word,  and  rushed 
from  the  room." 176 

'  William  II.  strode  to  me,  seized  me  by  the  shoulders, 

and  thrust  me  out  of  the  room." 188 

' '  Will  you  permit  me  to  ask  you,'  he  said  politely,  '  if 
you  have  ever  done  any  business  on  behalf  of  the  Em- 
peror of  Austria-Hungary  ?  ' " 192 

'  The  Emperor  could  not  repress  a  slight  start "        .        .     198 
'  I  rode  right  over  him." 212 


ILLUSTRATIONS  vii 

PAGE 

"  I  took  out  my  loaded  revolver,  cocked  it,  and  advanced 

to  the  threshold." ,        .    232 

"  Queen  Draga  cast  herself  on  the  inanimate  form  on  the 
bed,  concealed  the  face  in  her  arms,  and  allowed  her- 
self to  be  stabbed  by  a  dozen  bayonets."      .        .        .240 

»' '  V ! '  he  exclaimed,  drawing  back  as  if  he  had  been 

stung." 250 

"  '  Arrest  that  man  ! '  the  Kaiser  commanded,  without 

giving  him  time  to  speak." 256 

"  '  Now,'  said  the  Kaiser,  stepping  close  to  my  side,  '  tell 
me  the  truth— the  real  truth,  mind— and  I  will  spare 
yovir  life.' " 258 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  undertake  a  service  of  an  un- 
usual kind."    266 

"My  visitor  started  as  she  heard  her  name,  and  threw 
up  her  veil  with  a  gesture  of  astonishment  and  indig- 
nation.' '="* 

"  I  was  stopped  at  the  barricade  by  a  pompous  sergeant 

ofpoUce." 280 

«'  The  chief  detective  came  close  up  to  me,  put  his  mouth 

to  my  ear,  and  whispered,  'Le  drapeau  bland'"        .    284 

"I  found  the  Cardinal  absorbed  in  the  inspection  of  his  . 

newly  arrived  treasures." 296 

"  Saddened  and  subdued,  I  quitted  the  audience  chamber 

of  Pius  X." 306 

"  I  can  only  render  one  more  service  to  your  Majesty,  and 

that  is  to  advise  you  to  make  your  peace  with  the 

Black  Pope." ^<^^ 


THE  TELEGRA>r  WITiril  P.EOAN  THE  BOER  WAR 

TiiK  initials  uiuler  which  1  write  these  confessions 
arc  not  those  of  my  real  name,  which  I  could  not 
disclose  without  exposing,'  myself  to  the  revenge  of 
formidable  enemies.  As  it  is,  I  run  a  very  great 
risk  in  making  revelations  which  atVect  some  of  the 
most  powerful  personages  now  living;  and  it  is  only 
by  the  exercise  of  the  utmost  discretion  that  I  can 
ho\)Q  to  avoid  giving  oflence  in  quarters  in  which 
the  slightest  disrespect  is  apt  to  have  serious 
conscfjuences. 

If  I  should  bo  found  to  err  on  the  side  of  frank- 
ness, I  can  only  plead  in  excuse  that  I  have  never 
yet  botrayecl  the  confidence  placed  in  mo  by  tlit^ 
various  G«ivcrnments  and  illustrious  families  which 
have  employed  me  from  time  to  time.  The  late 
Prince    liismarck    once    honoured    mo    by    saying: 

•To  toll  sccreU  t^)  Monsieur  V is  like  putting 

them  into  a  strf»ng  box,  with  the  certainty  thiit 
they  will  not  come  out  ag;iin  until  one  Wiints 
them  to.' 

A 


2  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

In  these  reminiscences  it  is  my  object  to  recount 
some  of  the  services  I  have  rendered  to  civilisation 
in  the  course  of  my  career,  while  abstaining  as  far 
as  possible  from  compromising  exalted  individuals 
or  embittering  international  relations. 

That  I  am  not  a  man  who  opens  his  mouth  rashly 
may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that,  although  at  any 
time  during  the  long  struggle  between  Briton  and 
Boer  for  the  mastery  in  South  Africa,  I  might  have 
completely  changed  the  situation  with  a  word,  that 
word  was  not  uttered  while  a  single  Boer  remained 
under  arms. 

In  order  to  explain  how  I  came  to  be  concerned 
in  this  affair,  I  had  better  begin  by  giving  a  few 
particulars  about  myself,  and  the  almost  unique 
position  which  I  hold  among  the  secret  service 
bureaus  of  Europe  and  America. 

By  birth  I  am  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  being  the  son  of  a  Polish  father,  exiled  on 
account  of  his  political  opinions,  and  a  French 
mother.  From  my  childhood  I  showed  an  extra- 
ordinary aptitude  for  languages,  so  that  there  is 
now  scarcely  a  civilised  country  outside  Portugal 
and  Scandinavia  in  which  I  am  not  able  to  converse 
with  the  natives  in  their  own  tongue.  At  the  same 
time,  I  was  possessed,  ever  since  I  can  remember, 
with  a  passion  for  intrigue  and  mystery.  The 
romances  of  Gaboriau   were   the   favourite  reading 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR     3 

of  my  boyhood,  and  it  was  my  ambition  to  become 
a  famous  detective,  the  Vidocq  of  America. 

Fired  by  these  visions,  I  ran  away  from  the 
insurance  office  in  which  my  parents  had  placed 
me,  when  I  was  little  more  than  sixteen,  and  applied 
for  admission  to  the  ranks  of  the  famous  Pinkerton 
Police.  Although  my  youth  was  against  me,  my 
phenomenal  command  of  languages  turned  the  scale 
in  my  favour,  and  I  was  given  a  trial. 

Yery  soon  I  had  opportunities  of  distinguishing 
myself  in  more  than  one  mission  to  Europe,  on  the 
track  of  absconding  criminals;  and  in  this  way  I 
earned  the  favourable  notice  of  the  heads  of  the 
detective  police  in  London,  Paris,  Berlin,  and  other 
capitals. 

At  length,  finding  that  I  possessed  unique  quali- 
fications for  the  work  of  an  international  secret 
agent,  I  decided  to  quit  the  Pinkerton  service,  and 
set  up  for  myself,  making  my  headquarters  in  Paris. 
From  that  day  to  this  I  have  had  no  cause  to  repent 
of  my  audacity.  I  have  been  employed  at  one  time 
or  another  by  nearly  every  Government  in  the  world, 
and  my  clients  have  included  nearly  every  crowned 
head,  from  the  late  Queen  Victoria  to  the  Dowager 
Empress  of  China.  I  have  been  sent  for  on  the 
same  day  by  the  Ambassadors  of  two  hostile  Powers, 
each  of  which  desired  to  employ  me  against  the 
other. 


4     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

On  one  occasion  I  acted  on  behalf  of  a  famous 
German  Chancellor  against  his  then  master,  and 
on  another  on  behalf  of  the  Emperor  against  his 
Chancellor;  and  neither  had  cause  to  complain  of 
my  fidelity.  I  have  been  instrumental  in  freeing 
a  Queen  renowned  for  her  beauty  from  the  perse- 
cution of  a  blackmailer  set  on  by  a  foreign  court; 
and  I  have  more  than  once  detected  and  defeated 
the  plots  of  anarchists  for  the  assassination  of  their 
rulers. 

In  this  way  it  has  come  about  that  I  enjoy  the 
friendship  and  confidence  of  many  illustrious  person- 
ages, whose  names  would  excite  envy  were  I  at 
liberty  to  mention  them  in  these  pages;  and  that 
few  events  of  any  magnitude  happen  in  any  part 
of  the  globe  without  my  being  in  some  measure 
concerned  in  them. 

Often,  when  some  great  affair  has  been  proceed- 
ing, I  have  felt  myself  as  occupying  the  position 
of  the  stage  manager,  who  looks  on  from  the  wings, 
directing  the  entrances  and  exits  of  the  gorgeously 
dressed  performers  who  engross  the  attention  and 
applause  of  the  ignorant  spectators  on  the  other 
side  of  the  footlights. 

The  true  story  of  the  famous  telegram  which  may 
be  said  to  have  rendered  the  South  African  War 
inevitable  is   one    which    strikingly   illustrates   the 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR     5 

extent  to  which  the  public  may  be  deceived  about 
the  most  important  transactions  of  contemporary 
history. 

Every  one  is  familiar  with  the  situation  created 
by  that  celebrated  despatch.  For  some  time  pre- 
viously aU  England,  and,  in  fact,  all  Europe,  had 
been  agitated  by  the  intelligence  that  Johannesburg 
was  on  the  eve  of  insurrection,  that  the  Boers  were 
drawing  their  forces  together  about  the  doomed  city, 
that  Dr.  Jameson  had  dashed  across  the  frontier  with 
five  hundred  followers  in  a  mad  attempt  to  come  to 
the  aid  of  the  threatened  Outlanders,  and  that  his 
action  had  been  formally  disavowed  by  the  British 
Government. 

Close  on  the  heels  of  these  tidings  came  the 
memorable  day  on  which  London  was  cast  into 
gloom  by  long  streams  of  placards  issuing  from 
the  newspaper  offices  bearing  the  dismal  legend, 
'  Jameson  Beaten  and  a  Prisoner ! ' 

While  the  populace  were  yet  reeling  under  the 
blow,  divided  between  distress  at  this  humiliation 
for  the  British  flag,  and  indignation  at  the  criminal 
recklessness  which  had  staked  the  country's  honour 
on  a  gambler's  throw,  there  came  the  portentous 
news  that  the  head  of  the  great  German  Empire, 
the  grandson  of  Queen  Victoria,  had  sent  a  public 
message  of  congratulation  to  the  Boer  President, 
rejoicing  with  him  in  the  face  of  the  world  over  an 


6  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

event  which  every  Enghshman  felt  as  a  national 
disaster. 

That  hour  registered  the  doom  of  the  Pretorian 
Government.  Jameson  was  scornfully  forgotten. 
The  British  people,  as  proud  as  it  is  generous,  made 
up  its  mind  that  the  forbearance  so  long  extended 
to  a  vassal  of  its  own,  could  no  longer  be  shown 
Avith  honour  to  the  protege  of  a  mighty  European 
Power. 

On  the  very  day  on  which  this  celebrated  despatch 
appeared  as  the  chief  item  of  news  in  all  the  news- 
papers of  the  world,  I  received  an  urgent  cipher 
message  from  the  Director  of  the  Imperial  Secret 
Service,  Herr  Finkelstein,  demanding  my  presence 
in  Berlin. 

My  headquarters,  as  I  have  said,  are  in  Paris,  and 
fortunately  I  was  disengaged  when  the  summons 
arrived.  I  had  merely  to  dictate  a  few  dozen  wires 
to  my  staff,  while  my  valet  was  strapping  up  the 
portmanteau  which  always  stands  ready  packed  in 
my  dressing-room,  and  to  look  out  my  German 
passport  —  for  I  have  a  separate  one  for  every 
important  nationality — and  in  an  hour  or  two  I 
was  seated  in  the  Berlin  express,  speeding  towards 
the  frontier. 

From  the  bunch  of  papers  which  my  attentive 
secretary  had  thrust  into  the  carriage,  I  learned 
something  of  the  effect  which  the  German  Emperor's 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR     7 

interference  in  the  affairs  of  South  Africa  had 
produced  on  the  public  mind  in  England.  It  was 
evident  that  the  Islanders  were  strongly  roused, 
and  were  preparing  to  pick  up  the  gage  of  battle 
which  had  been  thrown  down.  No  sooner  had  I 
reached  German  territory  than  I  found  evidences 
of  an  even  greater  excitement.  The  whole  nation 
seemed  to  have  rallied  round  the  Kaiser,  and  to  be 
ready  to  back  up  his  words  with  martial  deeds. 

By  this  time  I  had  little  doubt  that  I  had  been 
sent  for  in  connection  with  the  outbreak  of  hostile 

feeling  between  the   two   Powers.      But  it  was  im- 

o 

possible  for  me  to  anticipate  the  actual  nature  of 
the  task  which  awaited  me. 

On  reaching  Berlin  I  was  met  by  a  private 
emissary  of  Finkelstein's,  who  hurried  me  off  to 
the  Director's  private  house.  The  first  words  with 
which  he  greeted  me  convinced  me  that  the  business 
I  juad  come  about  was  of  no  ordinary  kind. 

*  Do  not  sit  down,'  he  said  to  me,  as  I  was  about 
to  drop  into  a  chair,  after  shaking  hands  with  him. 
'I  must  ask  you  to  come  to  my  dressing-room  at 
once,  where  you  will  transform  yourself  as  quickly 
as  possible  into  an  officer  of  the  Berlin  Police.  The 
moment  that  is  done,  I  am  to  conduct  you  to  the 
Palace,  where  his  Majesty  will  see  you  alone.' 

As  I  followed  the  Director  into  the  dressing-room, 
where  I  found  a  uniform  suit  laid  out  ready  for  my 


8  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

wearing,  I  naturally  asked :  '  Can  you  tell  me  what 
this  is  about  ? ' 

Finkelstein  shook  his  head  with  a  mysterious  air. 

'  The  Kaiser  has  told  me  nothing.  But  he  warned 
me  very  strictly  not  to  let  a  single  creature  in  Berlin 
know  of  your  arrival,  and  from  that  fact  I  have 
naturally  drawn  certain  conclusions.' 

I  gazed  at  Finkelstein  with  some  suspicion.  We 
were  good  friends,  having  worked  together  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  and  I  knew  he  would  have  no 
wish  to  keep  me  in  the  dark.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  he  had  been  instructed  to  do  so,  I  knew  he  would 
not  hesitate  to  lie  to  me.  The  secret  service  has 
its  code  of  honour,  like  other  professions,  and  fidelity 
to  one's  employer  comes  before  friendship. 

Keeping  my  eye  fixed  on  him,  I  observed 
carelessly — 

'  You  will  tell  me  just  as  much  or  as  little  as  you 
think  fit,  my  dear  Finkelstein.  On  my  part  I  shall, 
of  course,  exercise  a  similar  discretion  after  his 
Imperial  Majesty  has  given  me  my  instructions.' 

As  I  expected,  the  bait  took.  Curiosity  is  the 
besetting  weakness  of  a  secret  service  officer,  and 
the  Berlin  Director  was  no  exception  to  the  rule. 
Putting  on  his  most  confidential  manner,  he  at  once 
replied — 

'  My  dear  V ,  if  you  and  I  do  not  trust  each 

other,  whom  can  we  trust  ?     Rest  assured  that  my 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR     9 

confidence  in  you  has  no  reserves.  I  have  spoken 
the  bare  truth  in  saying  that  the  Kaiser  has  given 
me  no  indication  of  his  object  in  sending  for  you. 
But  the  fact  that  he  has  ordered  me  to  take  these 
precautions  to  conceal  the  fact  of  your  arrival  in 
Berlin  tells  me  plainly  that  there  is  a  person  whom 
he  wishes  to  keep  in  ignorance ;  and  that  person  can 
only  be * 

'  The  Chancellor  ? '  I  threw  in,  as  my  companion 
hesitated. 

Finkelstein  nodded. 

'You  consider,  perhaps,  that  it  is  against  the 
Chancellor  that  I  am  to  be  employed  ? '  I  went  on. 

*  It  looks  like  it,'  was  the  cautious  answer. 

'And  the  reason  why  this  task  is  not  placed  in 
your  hands  ? ' 

'Is  because  I  am  a  native  of  Hanover,  and  the 
Kaiser  regards  me  rather  as  a  public  official  than 
as  a  personal  servant  of  his  own  dynasty,'  said 
Finkelstein. 

'  In  other  words,  he  regards  you  as  a  creature  of 
the  Chancellor's,'  I  commented  bluntly. 

The  Director  made  a  pleasing  and  ingenious 
attempt  to  blush. 

'  I  can  only  affirm  to  you,  on  my  sacred  word  of 
honour,  that  his  Majesty  has  no  cause  to  trust  me 
any  less  than  if  I  were  a  Prussian,'  he  declared. 
'And  I  shall  take  it  as  a  personal  kindness  if  you 


10  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

will  endeavour  to  convince  the  Kaiser  of  my 
loyalty.' 

'  I  will  take  care  that  he  knows  your  sentiments,' 
I  answered,  with  an  ambiguity  which  Finkelstein 
fortunately  did  not  remark. 

By  this  time  I  had  completed  my  transformation. 
A  glance  at  the  cheval  glass  showed  me  a  stiff, 
well -set -up  Prussian  official,  exhaling  the  very 
atmosphere  of  Junkerdom  and  sauerkraut.  I  gave 
the  signal  to  depart,  and  we  were  quickly  driving 
up  the  Unter  den  Linden  on  our  way  to  the  Imperial 
Palace. 

'Announce  to  his  Majesty — the  Herr  Director 
Finkelstein  and  the  Herr  Inspector  Vehm,'  my 
companion  said  to  the  doorkeeper. 

A  servant,  who  had  evidently  received  special 
instructions,  stepped  forward. 

'  The  Herr  Inspector  is  to  be  taken  to  his  Majesty 
at  once,'  he  said  firmly. 

Finkelstein  bit  his  lip  as  he  unwillingly  turned 
to  re-enter  his  carriage.  I  followed  the  lackey 
into  the  private  cabinet  of  the  monarch  who  had 
just  found  himself  the  centre  of  an  international 
cyclone. 

Wilhelm  II.  received  me  cordially.  It  was  not  the 
first  time  we  had  met.  About  the  time  of  his  ascend- 
ing the  throne  I  had  been  the  means  of  inflicting  on 
him  a  defeat  which  a  smaller  man  would  have  found 


A  glance  at  the  '.lieval  glass  showeil  me  a  stiff,  well  set-up 
Prussian  official." 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    11 

it  hard  to  forgive.  Fortunately,  the  German  Kaiser 
was  of  metal  sterling  enough  to  recognise  merit  even 
in  an  enemy,  and  to  realise  that  my  fidelity  to  my 
then  employer  was  the  best  guarantee  that  I  should 
be  equally  faithful  to  himself,  if  it  fell  to  my  lot  to 
serve  him. 

'  What  has  Finkelstein  told  you  ? '  was  the 
Emperor's  first  question,  after  he  had  graciously 
invited  me  to  sit  down. 

'  Only  that  he  was  able  to  tell  me  nothing,  sire.' 

The  Emperor  gave  me  a  suspicious  glance. 

'He  appeared  to  regret  that  your  Majesty  had  not 
given  him  your  confidence,'  I  added,  choosing  my 
words  warily.  '  He  assured  me  that  you  might  rely 
on  his  entire  devotion,  as  much  so  as  if  he  were  a 
native  of  your  hereditary  States.' 

'  And  what  do  you  say  as  to  that  ? '  demanded  the 
Kaiser,  with  a  piercing  look. 

'  I  think  that  your  Majesty  cannot  be  too  careful 
whom  you  trust.' 

Wilhelm  II.  allowed  himself  to  smile  gravely. 

'I  see,  Monsieur  V ,  that  you  are  a  prudent 

man.  If  Herr  Finkelstein  wishes  to  convince  me  of 
his  loyalty  to  the  Hohenzollerns,  he  cannot  begin 
better  than   by  renouncing   the  pension  which  he 

continues  to  draw  secretly  from  the  Duke  of .' 

His  Majesty  pronounced  the  name  by  which  a 
well-known  dispossessed  sovereign  goes  in  his  exile. 


12     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Familiar  as  I  long  have  been  with  instances  of 
perfidy  in  others,  I  could  not  restrain  an  exclamation 
of  astonishment  at  this  revelation  of  Finkelstein's 
double  dealing.     The  Kaiser  continued — 

*  After  that  you  will  not  be  surprised  if  I  caution 
you  particularly  against  letting  Herr  Finkelstein 
know  anything  of  the  object  of  the  inquiry  I  wish 
you  to  undertake.' 

I  bowed  respectfully,  and  waited  with  some  im- 
patience to  learn  the  true  nature  of  my  mission, 

'  I  could  not  receive  you  here  without  taking  some 
one  into  the  secret  of  your  employment,*  the  Kaiser 
went  on  to  explain ; '  and  I  chose  Finkelstein  in  order 
to  give  the  affair  as  much  as  possible  the  aspect  of  a 
private  and  domestic  matter.  In  reality  the  task  I 
have  to  set  you  is  one  of  the  most  grave  in  which 
you  have  ever  been  engaged.' 

The  Kaiser  took  one  of  the  Berlin  papers  of  the 
day  before,  which  was  lying  on  the  desk  in  front  of 
him,  and  pointed  to  a  column  in  which  was  set  out 
in  conspicuous  type  the  telegram  which  had  con- 
vulsed Europe  and  Africa,  and  had  already  caused 
Lord  Salisbury  to  issue  orders  for  the  mobilisation  of 
his  Flying  Squadron. 

'  I  have  sent  for  you,  in  two  words,  to  find  out 
for  me  the  authorship  of  this  telegram,'  the  Kaiser 
said. 

Notwithstanding  my  long  training  in  the  most 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    13 

tortuous  paths  of  secret  intrigue,  I  was  fairly  taken 
aback  by  this  announcement, 

'  That  telegram  ! '  I  could  only  exclaim.  '  The  one 
which  your  Majesty  addressed  to  President  Kruger!' 

'7  never  sent  it,'  Wilhelm  11.  declared  gravely. 
'  It  is  a  forgery  pure  and  simple.' 

For  a  moment  I  sat  still  in  my  chair,  almost 
unable  to  think. 

'But  what ?     But   who ?'   I  articulated, 

struggling  with  my  bewilderment. 

'That  is  what  you  have  got  to  find  out  for  me,' 
was  the  answer.  '  Let  me  tell  you  all  I  know.  The 
first  intimation  I  had  of  the  existence  of  such  a 
thing  was  the  sight  of  it  in  the  Press.  I  sent  in- 
stantly for  the  Chancellor,  who  came  here  wearing  a 
reproachful  expression,  and  evidently  prepared  to 
complain  bitterly  of  my  having  taken  such  a  step 
without  previously  informing  him.  When  I  told  him 
that  the  whole  thing  was  an  impudent  fabrication, 
he  could  scarcely  believe  his  ears.  In  fact,  for  some 
time  I  believe  he  was  inclined  to  consider  my  repu- 
diation of  it  as  a  mere  official  denial.' 

I  ventured  to  raise  my  eyes  to  his  Majesty's  as  I 
observed — 

'  Your  Majesty  has  taken  no  steps  to  make  your 
repudiation  public  ? ' 

The  Kaiser  gave  an  angry  frown. 

'  That  is  the  serious  part  of  the  affair,'  he  answered. 


14  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Kruger,  in  his  eagerness  to  proclaim  to  the  world 
that  I  was  on  his  side,  had  sent  copies  of  this 
infamous  production  to  every  newspaper  in  the  two 
hemispheres  before  it  reached  my  eyes.  At  the 
moment  when  I  first  saw  it,  it  had  already  been  read 
and  commented  upon  all  round  the  globe.  The 
British  newspapers  were  already  threatening  war, 
and  my  own  people  had  been  excited  to  a  pitch  of 
enthusiasm  such  as  no  other  act  of  mine  has  ever 
called  forth.  You  see  the  position  I  was  placed  in. 
If  I  were  'now  to  disavow  this  forgery,  my  dis- 
avowal would  be  received  everywhere  with  the 
same  scepticism  as  was  felt  even  by  my  own 
Chancellor.  The  British  would  triumph  over  me, 
and  my  own  subjects  would  never  forgive  me  for 
what  they  would  regard  as  a  surrender  to  British 
threats.' 

I  sat  silent.  I  realised  the  full  difficulty  of  the 
Kaiser's  position.  He  was  committed  in  spite  of 
himself  to  the  act  of  some  impostor,  whose  real 
motives  were  yet  to  be  discovered,  but  who  had 
already  succeeded  in  bringing  the  two  greatest 
Powers  of  Europe  to  the  verge  of  war. 

'  Before  I  can  undo  the  mischief  which  has  been 
done,'  the  Emperor  proceeded,  *I  must  first  of  all 
ascertain  from  what  quarter  this  forgery  emanated. 
When  I  have  obtained  that  information,  backed  by 
clear  and  convincing  proofs,  it  may  be  possible  for 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    15 

me  to  satisfy  the  British  Government  that  they 
and  I  have  been  the  victims  of  a  conspiracy.  If 
you  can  succeed  in  furnishing  me  with  those  proofs, 
it  shall  be  the  best  day's  work  you  ever  did  in  your 
life.' 

I  listened  carefully  to  these  words,  scrutinising 
them  for  any  trace  of  a  double  meaning.  It  was 
impossible  for  me  to  dismiss  entirely  from  my  mind 
that  suspicion  which  the  story  told  by  Wilhelm  II. 
was  naturally  calculated  to  excite.  I  asked  myself 
whether  the  Kaiser  was  really  in  earnest,  or  whether 
he  was  not  inviting  me,  in  a  delicate  fashion,  to 
extricate  him  from  the  consequences  of  his  own 
rashness,  by  putting  together  some  fictitious  account 
of  the  origin  of  the  telegram,  which  might  impose 
on  Lord  Salisbury. 

It  was  clearly  necessary,  however,  for  me  to  appear 
to  be  convinced. 

'  May  I  ask  if  your  Majesty's  suspicions  point  in 
any  particular  direction  ? '  I  asked,  trying  to  feel  my 
way  cautiously.  'The  President  of  the  Boers  is 
perhaps 

The  Kaiser  interrupted  me. 

'  I  do  not  think  Kruger  would  dare  to  provoke  me 
by  such  a  trick.  He  would  know  that  he  would  be 
the  first  to  suft'er  when  it  was  found  out.  No,  I  am 
convinced  that  we  must  look  nearer  home  for  the 
traitor.' 


16  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Something  in  the  Emperor's  tone  struck  me  as 
significant. 

'If  you  could  give  me  any  indication  of  the 
person '  I  ventured  to  throw  out. 

His  Majesty  looked  at  me  fixedly  as  he  answered — 

'  Does  it  not  occur  to  you,  Monsieur  V ,  that 

there  is  in  my  Empire  a  powerful  family,  the  heads 
of  which  seem  at  one  time  to  have  cherished  the 
notion  that  the  Hohenzollerns  could  not  reign 
without  them,  a  family  which  aspired  to  play  the 
same  part  in  modern  Germany  which  was  played 
by  the  Mayors  of  the  Palace  in  the  Empire  of  the 
Merovingians  ? ' 

'You  allude,  sire,  without  doubt,  to  the  Bis- 
marcks  ? ' 

'My  grandfather  was  forced  into  war  with  the 
French  by  a  forged  telegram.  There  would  be 
nothing  surprising  in  an  attempt  from  the  same 
quarter  to  force  me  into  a  war  with  England.' 

I  had  no  answer  to  make  to  such  reasoning. 
Daring  as  such  a  mancBuvre  might  appear,  it  was 
absurd,  in  the  face  of  historical  facts,  to  pronounce 
it  improbable. 

After  a  minute  spent  in  considering  the  situation, 
I  turned  to  the  question  of  how  the  fraud  might 
have  been  carried  out. 

It  was  quite  clear  to  me  that  such  a  message 
could  not  have  gone  over  the  ordinary  wires.    The 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    17 

despatches  of  Emperors  are  not,  as  a  rule,  handed  in 
over  the  counter  of  a  post-office,  like  a  telegram  from 
a  husband  announcing  that  he  is  prevented  from 
dining  at  home.  I  asked  the  Kaiser  to  explain  to 
me  the  system  pursued  with  regard  to  Imperial 
messages. 

'  That  is  a  matter  about  which  you  will  be  able  to 
learn  more  from  the  Chancellor  than  from  me,'  was 
the  answer.  'Foreign  despatches  go  through  the 
Chancellery,  and  there  is  a  staff  of  telegraphists 
there  to  deal  with  them.  The  wire  goes  direct  to  the 
Central  Telegraph  Office,  I  believe,  from  which  it 
would,  of  course,  find  its  way  to  the  Cable  Company.' 

'  Then  this  fabrication  must  have  been  sent  from 
the  Chancellery  in  the  first  instance?'  I  inquired. 
'It  could  not  have  been  received  at  the  Central 
Office  from  an  outside  source  ? ' 

*  Impossible.  They  would  not  dare  to  transmit  a 
message  in  my  name  which  had  not  reached  them 
through  one  of  the  authorised  channels.' 

This  was  the  reply  I  had  expected.  But  I  did  not 
fail  to  mark  the  admission  that  there  was  more  than 
one  channel  through  which  the  forgery  might  have 
come.     I  was  quick  to  ask — 

'  Is  there  not  some  other  source  from  which  this 
telegram  may  have  reached  them  besides  the  Chan- 
cellery ?  Your  Majesty,  no  doubt,  has  a  private  wire 
from  the  Palace.' 

B 


18     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

The  Kaiser  looked  a  little  put  out. 

'  That  is  so,  of  course,'  he  conceded.  '  But  that 
wire  is  used  only  for  my  personal  messages,  and  those 
of  the  Imperial  family.' 

'Still,  a  message  received  over  this  wire,  and 
couched  in  your  name,  would  be  accepted  at  the 
Central  Office,  would  it  not  ? '  I  persisted. 

'Undoubtedly.  But  the  Palace  operator,  a  man 
who  works  under  the  eye  of  my  secretary,  would  not 
dare  to  play  me  such  a  trick,  which,  he  would  be 
aware,   must  be   detected   immediately.     Take   my 

advice,  Monsieur  V ,  waste  no  time  over   side 

paths,  but  go  direct  to  the  Chancellor,  and  commence 
your  perquisitions  among  his  staff.' 

I  bowed  respectfully,  as  though  accepting  this  plan 
of  campaign.  But,  as  I  withdrew  from  the  Emperor's 
cabinet,  the  doubt  pressed  more  strongly  than  ever 
upon  my  mind  whether  I  was  not  being  asked  to 
play  a  part.  I  half  expected  to  find  everything  pre- 
pared for  me  at  the  Chancellery,  prearranged  clues 
leading  to  the  detection  of  a  culprit  who  would  recite 
a  confession  which  had  been  put  into  his  mouth 
beforehand. 

I  was  perfectly  willing  to  perform  my  part  in  the 
comedy  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  my  employer, 
but  all  the  same  I  meant  to  keep  my  eyes  open, 
and  not  to  let  myself  be  the  victim  of  a  deception 
intended  for  English  consumption. 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    19 

In  this  mood  I  presented  myself  before  the 
Chancellor.  As  soon  as  the  Imperial  autograph 
introducing  me  had  met  his  eye,  his  Excellency 
threw  aside,  or  pretended  to  throw  aside,  all 
reserve. 

'I  am  delighted  to  find  the  Emperor  has  placed 

this  business  in  your  hands,  Monsieur  V ,'  he 

said  obligingly.  'Your  reputation  is  well  known 
to  me,  and  I  am  convinced  that  you  will  be  perfectly 
discreet.  The  Emperor  is,  of  course,  thoroughly 
taken  aback  by  the  results  of  his  unfortunate  im- 
pulse, and  wishes  to  relieve  himself  of  the  re- 
sponsibility he  has  incurred.  In  that  I  am  quite 
willing  to  help  him,  but  not  at  my  own  expense, 
you  understand.' 

I  murmured  something  about  the  Bismarcks.  His 
Excellency  gave  a  smile  of  contempt. 

'  All  that  is  absurd,'  he  rapped  out.  '  The  Emperor 
is  quite  foolish  about  that  family,  which  possesses 
no  more  influence  to-day  than  any  Pomeranian 
squire.  No,  if  his  Majesty  wants  a  victim  he 
ought  to  be  content  with  one  of  his  o^vn  staff.  I 
refuse  to  allow  the  Imperial  Chancellery  to  be 
discredited  in  the  eyes  of  Europe.' 

This  reception,  so  unlike  what  I  had  anticipated, 
made  me  begin  to  think  that  my  inquiry  would  have 
to  be  serious.  After  a  little  further  conversation 
with  the  Chancellor  I  decided  to  go  to  work  regularly 


20     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

beginning  by  tracing  the  Imperial  telegram  back 
from  the  Central  Office. 

The  Chancellor  readily  furnished  me  with  the 
necessary  authority  to  produce  to  the  Director  of 
the  Telegraph  Service,  to  whom  I  had  merely  to 
explain  that  I  had  been  instructed  to  verify  the 
exact  wording  of  the  now  famous  despatch. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  detail  my  interview 
with  this  functionary,  whose  share  in  the  business 
was  purely  formal.  Suffice  it  that  within  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  after  entering  his  office,  I  came  out  with 
the  all-important  information  that  the  congratula- 
tion to  Mr.  Kruger  had  come  direct  from  the 
Imperial  Palace,  over  the  Kaiser's  private  wire. 

By  this  time  it  was  clear  to  me  that  either 
Wilhelm  II.  was  playing  a  very  complicated  game 
indeed  with  me,  or  he  really  was  the  victim  of 
one  of  the  most  audacious  coups  in  history.  My 
interest  in  the  investigation  was  strongly  roused,  as 
I  made  my  way  to  the  Palace  for  the  second  time 
that  day,  bent  upon  a  meeting  with  the  telegraphist 
by  whose  agency,  it  now  appeared,  the  war-making 
despatch  had  come  over  the  wires. 

My  recent  audience  in  the  Imperial  cabinet  had 
invested  me  with  authority  in  the  eyes  of  the 
household,  and  I  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  a, 
footman  to  conduct  me  to  the  operator's  room,  which 
was  situated  at  the  far  end  of  the  corridor  which 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    21 

I  had  previously  passed  through  on  my  way  to  the 
Kaiser. 

The  room  being  empty  on  my  arrival,  I  dismissed 
the  footman  in  search  of  the  operator,  who,  he  in- 
formed me,  would  most  probably  be  found  with  the 
private  secretary  to  the  Emperor. 

The  moment  I  found  myself  alone  I  stepped  up  to 
the  apparatus.  I  am  an  expert  telegraphist,  and  the 
machine  speedily  clicked  off  the  following  despatch — 

*  To  the  German  Ambassador,  London. — See  Lord 
Salisbury  privately,  at  once,  and  inform,  him,  British 
Government  entirely  deceived  as  to  my  sentiments. 
Proofs  vyill  be  sent  to  you  shortly. — Wilhelm, 
Kaiser.* 

I  had  hardly  taken  my  fingers  oif  the  instrument 
when  the  door  opened  and  the  operator  walked  in. 

Herr  Zeiss — I  heard  this  name  at  the  Central 
Office — appeared  to  me  to  be  a  simple-minded  man, 
more  likely  to  be  the  victim  of  a  conspiracy  than 
himself  a  conspirator.  I  thought  it  my  best  plan  to 
assume  an  air  of  omniscience  at  the  outset. 

'  How  is  this,  sir ! '  I  demanded  with  some  stern- 
ness. 'Do  your  instructions  permit  you  to  leave 
this  instrument  unguarded  for  any  person  who 
pleases  to  send  his  own  messages  over  the  Emperor's 
private  wire  ? ' 

The  telegraphist  stared  at  me  with  a  mixture  of 
surprise  and  alarm. 


22  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

*I  don't  know  who  has  authorised  you,  Herr 
Inspector '  he  began,  when  I  cut  him  short. 

'  Am  I  to  go  to  his  Majesty,  and  ask  him  if  you 
have  permission  to  leave  this  room  when  you 
please,  without  taking  any  precautions  against  the 
unauthorised  use  of  the  wire  ? ' 

Herr  Zeiss  quickly  changed  his  tone. 

'  That  is  not  a  thing  of  which  I  am  ever  guilty,'  he 
protested. 

•You  have  been  guilty  of  it  just  now,'  I  retorted. 

'  I  have  not  been  away  two  minutes.  No  one 
could  have  taken  advantage  of  my  absence.' 

'  Nevertheless,  advantage  has  been  taken  of  your 
absence.' 

'  I  don't  believe  it ! ' 

'  Ask  the  Central  Office  to  repeat  the  message  you 
have  just  sent  them,  then.' 

Casting  a  frightened  look  at  me,  the  man  com- 
plied. I  have  seldom  seen  an  expression  of  deeper 
astonishment  and  terror  on  a  man's  face  than  that 
which  marked  the  unfortunate  operator's  as  my 
despatch  came  back  to  him,  word  after  word,  ending 
with  the  Imperial  signature. 

'  My  God  ! '  he  cried  out.  '  Who  has  done  this  ? 
I  shall  be  ruined ! ' 

'  Whether  you  are  ruined  or  not  depends  entirely 
on  yourself,'  I  said  sharply.  '  It  is  in  my  power  to 
save  you,  but  only  upon  one  condition.' 


"  '  My  God  ! '  he  cried  out.     '  \\'lio  lias  done  tliis?    1  sliall  be  ruined. 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    23 

Herr  Zeiss  turned  on  me  a  gaze  of  mute  appeal. 

'  You  must  tell  me  the  exact  truth,'  I  proceeded, 
'  and  you  must  tell  me  everything.  How  often  have 
you  left  this  room  without  taking  precautions  against 
the  misuse  of  the  wire  in  your  absence  during  the 
last  two  days  ? ' 

Zeiss  considered  for  a  moment.  Then  his  face 
brightened  up. 

'  Not  once,  I  can  assure  you  positively  of  that, 
Herr  Inspector.' 

This  answer,  given  so  confidently,  came  as  a  severe 
check  to  me.  I  looked  at  the  man  sternly,  as  I 
responded,  with  assumed  confidence — 

*  And  I  am  positive  that  you  are  mistaken.  An 
unauthorised  use  has  been  made  of  this  wire,  and  I 
am  determined  to  know  by  whom.' 

The  operator's  face  fell  once  more.  He  appeared 
to  me  to  be  honestly  at  a  loss. 

'  Come,'  I  put  in, '  think  again.  Begin  by  recalling 
any  occasions  on  which  you  have  been  called  away 
hurriedly,  and  have  perhaps  omitted  to  lock  the  door.' 

'  But  there  has  been  no  such  occasion.  I  swear  to 
you  that  I  have  not  once  left  this  room  without 
taking  ample  precautions.' 

I  fancied  I  discerned  a  touch  of  hesitation, 
rather  in  the  operator's  tone  than  in  his  actual  words. 

'  Speak  more  plainly,'  I  said.  '  What  do  you  mean 
by  precautions  ? ' 


24  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'Either  the  door  was  locked,  or  else *     This 

time  the  hesitation  was  palpable. 

'  Or  else  what  ? ' 

'It  was  left  in  the  charge  of  a  trustworthy 
person.' 

'  And  that  trustworthy  person,  who  was  he  ? '  I 
found  it  hard  to  suppress  all  signs  of  excitement  as  I 
put  this  question. 

'  The  gentleman  who  will  shortly  be  my  brother- 
in-law.' 

'  Ah !  Perhaps  this  gentleman  is  an  employee  in 
the  same  department  as  yourself  ? ' 

'  Not  at  all,'  Zeiss  protested  earnestly.  '  He  is  a 
teacher  in  the  Military  College.  He  knows  nothing 
of  telegraphy ;  in  fact,  he  has  sometimes  asked  me 
questions  on  the  subject  which  have  convinced 
me  that  he  is  quite  a  fool  where  electricity  is 
concerned.' 

'  Indeed  !  And  the  name  of  this  foolish  person,  if 
you  please  ? ' 

'  Herr  Severinski.' 

'  A  Pole  ! '  I  exclaimed. 

'No,  a  Russian.  He  was  exiled  to  Siberia  on 
account  of  his  political  opinions,  but  escaped.  He 
teaches  Russian  in  the  college.' 

'How  did  he  come  to  be  left  in  charge  of  this 
room  ? ' 

*  He  called  here  the  day  before  yesterday,  in  the 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    25 

evening,  to  speak  to  me  about  his  marriage  with  my 
sister.  They  have  been  engaged  for  some  time,  you 
must  know.  While  he  was  here  I  received  a  note 
from  my  sister  herself,  pressing  me  to  come  and 
speak  to  her  at  once  outside  the  Palace.  I  went, 
leaving  my  brother-in-law  to  wait  here  during  my 
absence.  My  sister,  I  found,  merely  wished  to  urge 
me  not  to  object  to  any  proposal  made  by  her 
betrothed.  On  my  return  I  found  Severinski 
yawning  and  apparently  bored  to  death  in  my 
absence.  I  asked  him,  and  he  assured  me  no  one 
had  come  near  the  room  while  I  was  away.' 

I  could  scarcely  resist  smiling  as  the  whole 
intrigue,  so  simple,  and  yet  so  consummately  suc- 
cessful, lay  bared  to  my  perception.  My  whole 
anxiety  now  was  to  keep  the  worthy  but  stupid 
Zeiss  ignorant  of  the  transaction  in  which  he  had 
been  an  unwitting  accomplice. 

I  brought  him  away  from  the  Palace  with  me, 
so  as  to  leave  him  no  opportunity  of  warning 
Severinski,  and  we  proceeded  together  to  the 
Russian's  quarters.  I  flatter  myself  that  the  pro- 
fessor of  the  Military  College  was  not  a  little  dis- 
concerted when  he  saw  his  dupe  followed  into  the 
room  by  an  Inspector  of  the  Berlin  Police. 

I  explained  my  position  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
let  Severinski  see  that  I  knew  everything,  without 
enlightening  the  other  man. 


26  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY ' 

'  The  day  before  yesterday  Herr  Zeiss  left  you 
alone  in  his  room  in  the  Palace.  You  took  the 
opportunity  to  send  a  telegram,  the  terms  of  which 
are  known  to  me,  over  the  Emperor's  private  wire. 
For  this  offence  you  and  he  are  liable  to  severe 
punishment.  What  I  now  have  to  propose  to  you 
is  to  make  a  confession  which  will  have  the  effect  of 
exonerating  every  one  except  yourself.  If  you  do 
this,  I  think  I  can  promise  you  that  you  shall  suffer 
no  penalty  beyond,  of  course,  the  loss  of  your  post  in 
the  Military  College.' 

Severinski  gave  me  a  glance  of  intelligence. 

'  You  do  not  require  me  to  denounce  anybody  else  ?  * 
he  inquired  significantly. 

'  I  do  not  require  you  to  confess  what  is  obvious 
to  every  one,'  I  returned  with  equal  significance. 

Poor  Zeiss  followed  this  exchange  with  an  air  of 
bewilderment.  It  was  evident  that  the  discovery 
of  the  other's  guilt  had  caused  a  shock  to  his  con- 
fiding nature,  and  he  was  stiU  trying  to  reconcile 
the  Russian's  prompt  surrender  to  me  with  his 
previous  stupidity  on  questions  of  electrical  science, 
when  I  summarily  dismissed  him  from  further  share 
in  the  interview. 

As  soon  as  we  were  by  ourselves  Severinski  spoke 
out  boldly  enough. 

'I  am  quite  willing  to  give  you  a  statement  that  I 
sent  the  telegram.     But  I  am  not  going  to  tell  you 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    27 

anything  more.  You  must  know  that  I  am  an 
Anarchist.' 

I  waved  my  hand  scornfully. 

'If  I  consent  to  your  suppressing  the  truth, 
Professor  Severinski,  it  does  not  follow  that  I 
am  willing  to  listen  to  absurd  fictions.  Be  good 
enough  to  write  out  and  sign  a  circumstantial 
account  of  your  own  part  in  this  clumsy  plot,  and 
I  will  undertake  that  you  shall  not  pass  to-night 
in  prison.' 

The  Russian  had  the  sense  to  do  what  he  was 
told  without  further  parley.  I  got  from  him  more 
than  I  expected.  He  consented  to  put  in  writing 
that  it  was  after  his  betrothal  to  Fraulein  Zeiss 
that  he  had  been  solicited  to  make  use  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  Kaiser's  private  telegraphist,  and 
he  stated  the  amount  of  the  bribe,  a  very  heavy  one, 
paid  him  for  his  services  in  sending  the  Imperial 
congratulations  to  the  President  of  the  Transvaal. 
We  became  so  friendly  over  the  discussion  that 
Severinski,  who  was  bursting  with  vanity  over 
his  success,  wanted  me  at  last  to  let  him  tell 
me  too  much.  I  was  obliged  to  order  him  to  be 
silent. 

'  If  you  tell  me  that  you  are  an  agent  of  a  certain 
great  Power,  I  must  repeat  what  you  say  to  the 
Kaiser.  Then  one  of  two  things  will  happen.  Either 
your  Government  will  avow  your  action,  in  which 


28  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

case  you  will  be  hanged  as  a  spy,  or  it  will  disavow 
you,  in  which  case  you  will  pass  the  rest  of  your  life 
in  prison  as  a  criminal  lunatic' 

This  menace  had  all  the  eflfect  which  I  could  have 
desired,  and  I  was  satisfied  that  the  Russian  would 
now  hold  his  tongue. 

Bidding  him  a  cordial  farewell — for  I  confess  the 
fellow's  audacity  had  inspired  me  with  some  admira- 
tion—I hastened  back  to  the  Palace,  to  lay  the 
results  of  my  investigations  before  Wilhelm  II. 

'Your  Majesty  has  been  victimised  by  a  secret 
agent  whose  employers  are  interested  in  bringing 
about  a  feeling  of  ill-will,  if  not  an  actual  war,  be- 
tween Germany  and  Great  Britain.  The  day  before 
yesterday  this  agent,  whose  name  is  Severinski,  and 
who  is  employed  to  teach  Russian' — Wilhelm  II. 
started— 'in  the  Berlin  Military  College,  visited 
your  private  telegraphist  in  the  room  at  the  end  of 
this  corridor.  He  had  previously  contrived  that 
the  telegraphist  should  be  called  away  during  his 
visit,  and  he  took  advantage  of  this  absence 
to  send  the  message  which  has  caused  so  much 
trouble.' 

The  Kaiser  made  no  reply  until  he  had  finished 
reading  the  proofs  I  laid  before  him. 

'  And  you  did  not  ask  this  Severinski  by  whom  he 
was  set  on?'  demanded  his  Majesty,  giving  me  a 
keen  glance. 


TELEGRAM  WHICH  BEGAN  BOER  WAR    29 

'  I  did  not  know  whether  you  would  wish  me  to  do 
so,'  I  answered  respectfully. 

'  You  were  right,  a  thousand  times  right,'  exclaimed 
the  Emperor.  '  As  long  as  they  are  in  doubt  whether 
I  know  it  is  they  who  have  played  me  this  trick,  I 
have  the  advantage  of  them,  and  they  will  keep 
silence  for  their  own  sakes.'  He  paused  in  deep  con- 
sideration for  a  minute,  then  he  looked  up  quickly. 
'  All  this  time  I  must  not  forget  the  English.     Tell 

me,  Monsieur  V ,  are  you  personally  known  to 

Lord  Salisbury  ? ' 

*  I  have  that  honour,  sire.     On  one  occasion ' 

'  Enough !  There  is  not  a  moment  to  lose.  You 
will  leave  Berlin  by  the  first  train,  and  proceed 
straight  to  the  Ambassador's  house  in  London.  He 
will  take  you  round  to  the  Prime  Minister,  and  you 
will  offer  him  the  proofs  which  you  have  just  offered 
me,  explaining  at  the  same  time  that  the  excited 
state  of  public  feeling  in  both  countries  makes  it 
impossible  for  me  to  take  any  open  action  in  the 
matter.' 

I  bowed  and  moved  towards  the  door. 

•I  will  wire  to  the  Ambassador  to  expect  you,' 
called  out  the  Kaiser. 

'  Pardon  me,  your  Majesty  has  done  so  already.' 

'How?' 

'  I  also  passed  five  minutes  alone  in  the  room  of 
Herr  Zeiss,'  I  explained. 


30     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

In  the  years  which  have  elapsed  since  this  cele- 
brated episode,  Wilhelm  II.  has  left  no  means  un- 
tried to  convince  the  British  people  of  his  friendly 
sentiments  towards  them.  It  is  as  a  service  to  his 
Imperial  Majesty,  though  without  authority  from 
him,  that  I  now  venture  to  lift  the  veil  from  the 
most  astounding  transaction  in  the  annals  of  even 
Muscovite  diplomacy. 


II 

THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE 

Although  the  revelations  which  have  been  made 
already  in  the  British  House  of  Commons  have 
thrown  some  light  on  the  international  intrigues 
which  complicated  the  progress  of  the  Cuban  War, 
the  tragic  event  which  caused  the  United  States  to 
draw  the  sword  against  Spain  has  remained  a  pro- 
found mystery  to  the  present  hour. 

The  truth  concerning  the  destruction  of  the  United 
States  warship  Maine,  in  the  roadstead  of  Havana,  is 
known  fully  to  only  two  persons  now  alive.  One  of 
these  two  has  taken  the  vow  of  perpetual  silence  in 
the  monastery  of  La  Trappe,  and  his  name  is  already 
forgotten  by  the  world. 

I  shall  cause  some  surprise,  perhaps,  when  I 
venture  to  assert  that  had  I  left  my  hotel  ten  minutes 
earlier  on  a  certain  memorable  night  in  the  year 
1898,  the  Spanish  flag  might  still  be  flying  over  the 
citadel  of  Havana. 

The  extraordinary  adventure  which  I  am  going  to 
relate  had  its  starting-point  in  Paris,  which  is,  to  a 


32     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

large  extent,  the  clearing-house  of  international 
politics — the  diplomatic  exchange  where  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Powers  meet,  and  sound  each  other's 
minds.  For  this  reason  the  highest  post  in  the 
diplomatic  service  of  every  country  is  still  the  Paris 
Embassy,  although  France  itself  scarcely  ranks  to- 
day as  a  Power  of  the  first  magnitude. 

It  is  Paris,  as  every  one  is  aware,  which  was  the 
scene  of  the  long  negotiation  between  the  representa- 
tives of  the  Cuban  insurgents  and  the  Government  of 
Madrid  on  the  question  of  the  terms  to  be  granted 
by  Spain  to  her  discontented  colony.  In  this 
negotiation  it  is  equally  well  known  that  the  Cuban 
delegates  received  the  moral  support  of  the  United 
States;  but  it  is  not  generally  known  that  the 
Spanish  Government  acted  throughout  in  consulta- 
tion with  most  of  the  European  Powers. 

I  was  looking  on  at  the  negotiation  without  any 
very  great  interest,  sharing,  as  I  did,  in  the  general 
impression  that  Spain  would  give  way  before  long, 
when  I  was  surprised  one  morning  by  receiving  a 
visit  from  a  very  remarkable  character. 

Ludwig  Kehler  was  a  Bavarian,  who  had  begun 
life  as  a  candidate  for  the  priesthood.  A  dis- 
graceful affair,  the  particulars  of  which  I  had 
never  learned,  had  caused  his  dismissal  from  the 
seminary,  and,  after  drifting  about  the  world  for 
a  time,    and   mixing    in  very  shady  company,  he 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     83 

suddenly  appeared  in  Berlin  in  the  character  of  a 
police  agent. 

The  exact  nature  of  the  services  which  he  rendered 
to  the  police  was  a  mystery,  but  I  had  formed  the 
theory  that  he  was  employed  as  a  spy  on  the  German 
Catholics,  whose  attachment  to  the  House  of  Hohen- 
zollern  has  always  been  suspected  in  Berlin. 

The  presence  of  this  man  in  Paris  was  in  itself  an 
unusual  event.  It  did  not  occur  to  me  to  connect  it 
with  the  Spanish- American  question,  and  that  for  a 
very  simple  reason.  Germany  is  the  one  country  in 
Europe  which  has  never  possessed  a  foot  of  soil  in 
the  New  World.  Spain,  Portugal,  England,  France, 
and  even  Holland  and  Denmark  have  planted  their 
flags  across  the  Atlantic,  but  the  German  Michael 
has  been  content  to  remain  at  home  while  his  neigh- 
bours were  colonising  the  globe. 

I  received  Kehler  coldly.  My  acquaintance  with 
him  was  a  purely  professional  one,  and  he  was  a  man 
whom  I  profoundly  distrusted. 

As  soon  as  I  could  do  so,  without  positive  rude- 
ness, I  invited  him  to  explain  the  object  of  his 
visit. 

'It  is  of  a  confidential  nature,'  prefaced  the 
Bavarian.  '  May  I  assure  myself  that  our  con- 
versation will  remain  a  secret  between  us  two  ?* 

I  bowed  gravely. 

'  That  is  always  understood,  where  I  am  concerned, 
c 


34     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

A  man  who  desires  to  be  trusted  must  begin  by- 
establishing  a  reputation  for  secrecy.' 

Kehler  contented  himself  with  this  assurance,  dry 
as  it  was. 

*  I  thank  you,  Monsieur  V .    Your  reputation 

is  so  well  established  that  I  had  no  intention  except 
to  ask  whether  you  were  willing  to  receive  the 
proposals  I  have  come  to  make  ? ' 

'  Proceed,  Herr  Kehler,  if  you  will  be  so  good.' 

'You  have  learnt,  no  doubt,  that  the  Spanish 
Government  has  made  up  its  mind  to  concede  the 
terms  demanded  on  behalf  of  the  Cubans  by  the 
United  States  ? ' 

Although  I  was  not  aware  that  things  had  reached 
this  point,  I  did  not  allow  Kehler  to  see  that  he  had 
given  me  any  information. 

'  By  this  act,'  he  continued,  '  the  Americans  have, 
in  fact,  declared  that  no  European  Power  has  any 
right  to  enter  their  hemisphere  without  their  per- 
mission.' 

'  All  that  is  well  known,  Herr  Kehler.' 

'The  question  then  arises  whether  the  European 
Powers  will  allow  themselves  to  be  driven  out,  one 
by  one,  or  whether,  by  a  bold  combination,  they  will 
reduce  the  United  States  to  some  respect  for  the  law 
of  nations.' 

'  Such  a  combination  would  be  inopportune  at  this 
moment,  because  the  British  would  stand  aloof.' 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE      35 

'Because  they  look  upon  the  struggle  as  one 
between  Spaniard  and  Cuban,'  Kehler  rejoined 
quickly.  'But  let  us  suppose  there  to  be  a  war, 
in  which  the  United  States  was  engaged  against 
Spain  ? ' 

'You  have  just  said  there  will  be  no  such  war/ 

'  A  war  is  always  possible,  provided  those  interested 
in  bringing  it  about  are  not  too  scrupulous.' 

This  sinister  language  at  length  convinced  me  that 
the  Bavarian  had  not  come  to  see  me  for  nothing.  I 
decided  to  draw  him  out. 

'Provided  such  a  war  actually  commenced,  I  agree 
that  some  combination  on  behalf  of  Spain  might  be 
possible,'  I  murmured,  as  though  reviewing  the  situa- 
tion in  my  mind.  '  But  where  is  the  Government 
suflSciently  in  earnest  to  undertake  so  terrible  a 
responsibility  ?  * 

'  It  is  that  Government,'  Kehler  responded,  'which 
sees  its  subjects  departing  in  greater  numbers  every 
year,  but  which  looks  around  in  vain  for  some  un- 
occupied region  towards  which  to  direct  the  stream 
of  emigration.' 

*  You  mean  Germany  ? ' 

'We  look  around  us,'  he  continued,  scarcely 
noticing  my  interruption,  'and  we  see  all  the  con- 
tinents staked  out  in  advance  by  other  Powers :  Asia 
by  England  and  Russia,  Africa  by  England  and 
France,  North  America  by  England  and  the  United 


36  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

States,  Australia  by  England  alone.  There  remains 
only  South  America,  in  the  possession  of  weak  Latin 
races,  unable  to  make  use  of  their  advantages,  but 
who  are  protected  in  their  decay  by  the  bullies  of 
Washington.' 

'A  war  in  which  the  United  States  found  itself 
fully  occupied  would  be  a  fine  opportunity  for  the 
German  Michael  to  plant  his  standard  in  Brazil  or 
the  Argentine,  I  understand.' 

Kehler  looked  at  me  earnestly. 

'The  man  who  undertook  the  task  of  making 
such  a  war  inevitable,  without  compromising  ex- 
alted personages,  would  be  no  loser,'  he  remarked 
significantly. 

I  looked  back  at  the  Bavarian  before  demanding — 

'  Have  you  any  definite  scheme  to  put  before 
me?' 

'  Until  I  know  that  you  accept,'  he  demurred. 

'  I  do  not  know  that  you  are  accredited,'  I  reminded 
him. 

'  What  authority  do  you  require  ? ' 

'  The  Imperial  autograph  simply.' 

'  Impossible.' 

•  I  am  accustomed  to  be  trusted  by  my  employers,* 
I  returned  decidedly.  '  I  cannot  act  under  any  other 
conditions.' 

'That  is  final?' 

*  It  is  final' 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     37 

'Then  I  am  afraid  I  can  only  ask  you  to  forget 
that  I  have  occupied  so  much  of  your  time.' 

I  allowed  Kehler  to  rise  and  take  his  departure 
without  making  the  least  sign.  The  moment  he  was 
out  of  hearing  I  sprang  to  the  telephone  and  rang  up 
the  agent  of  the  Sugar  Trust. 

Herr  Kehler's  refusal  to  produce  the  guarantee  for 
which  I  asked  convinced  me  that  he  contemplated 
some  action  of  a  character  doubtful,  to  say  the  least, 
if  not  criminal. 

It  would  have  been  useless  for  me  to  communicate 
my  suspicions  to  the  American  Minister  in  Paris. 
The  diplomacy  of  the  United  States,  blunt  and  self- 
reliant,  takes  httle  account  of  the  subterranean  in- 
trigue which  pervades  European  politics.  But  the 
Government  of  Washington  was  not  the  only  factor 
concerned.  As  Europe  is  beginning  to  learn,  the 
Union  is  a  federation,  not  so  much  of  those  geo- 
graphical divisions  which  are  painted  in  diiferent 
colours  on  the  map,  and  called  States,  but  of  those 
vast  organisations  of  capital  which  control  the 
American  electoral  system,  and  fill  the  Senate  with 
their  delegates.  Nebraska,  Pennsylvania,  Virginia, 
Illinois — these  are  merely  names  for  school  children ; 
the  Silver  Ring,  the  Steel  Trust,  the  Cotton  Trust, 
the  Pork  Trust  —  such  are  the  true  American 
Powers. 

During  the  whole  of  the  Cuban  negotiation  the 


38  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Sugar  and  Tobacco  Trusts  had  been  represented  in 
Paris  by  agents  whose  object  it  was  to  avert  an 
annexation  of  Cuba  by  the  United  States,  an  act 
which  would,  of  course,  mean  the  free  admission  of 
Cuban  sugar  and  tobacco  into  the  markets.  Adonijah 
B.  Stearine,  the  Sugar  Agent,  was  a  shrewd  man,  and 
I  had  no  doubt  I  should  find  him  a  ready  listener  to 
what  I  had  to  say. 

Within  an  hour  of  Kehler's  departure,  Mr.  Stearine 
was  seated  in  my  office.  I  had  to  pick  my  words 
carefully  not  to  break  the  promise  of  secrecy  into 
which  I  had  been  beguiled. 

'  I  have  just  seen  a  secret  agent  who  wanted  me  to 
help  him  in  some  trick  to  force  on  a  war  between 
the  States  and  Spain.' 

Stearine  rolled  his  eyes  and  whistled  thoughtfully. 

*  Who  sent  him  ? ' 

'  I  can't  say.  He  refused  to  disclose  his  principal, 
and  so  I  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  him.' 

The  Sugar  Agent  pursed  up  his  lips,  and  frowned. 

*  I  guess  this  is  a  dodge  of  Bugg's,'  he  muttered. 
'  What  Bugg  ? ' 

'You  don't  say  you  haven't  heard  of  Bugg — 
Milk  W.  Bugg,  the  Pork  Trust's  man  over  here? 
I  reckon  Bugg  is  the  smartest  man  in  Chicago,  and 
Chicago  is  the  smartest  town  in  the  States,  and 
the  States  is  the  smartest  country  on  earth ;  so  there 
you  are.' 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     39 

'The  man  who  came  to  me  is  a  German,'  I 
hinted. 

'Busror's  smartness,'  was  the  comment. 

'  He  wanted  me  to  think  he  came  from  Berlin.' 

'Bugg  is  real  smart,'  breathed  Mr.  Stearine  with 
admiration. 

It  was  evident  that  the  agent  of  the  Sugar  Trust 
was  unable  to  see  past  the  figure  of  his  rival,  which 
filled  up  his  mental  horizon.  I  did  not  consider  it 
worth  while  to  argue  the  point. 

'  The  question  is.  Do  you  want  this  to  be  stopped  ? ' 
I  said. 

Stearine  looked  at  me  with  something  like  surprise. 

'  Think  you  can  ? '  he  questioned  briefly. 

'  I  know  the  man  who  is  at  work.  I  can  shadow 
him  and  find  out  what  he  is  doing.' 

'You  will  have  to  be  almighty  quick  about  it,' 
retorted  the  other.  'When  did  this  man  get 
away ! ' 

'  Only  an  hour  ago.' 

Mr.  Stearine  gazed  at  me  with  a  disconcerting 
scrutiny.  Then  he  remarked  slowly  and  em- 
phatically— 

'  If  this  is  Bugg's  game,  and  you  have  given  him 
an  hour's  start,  I  calculate  he  will  be  opening  a  store 
in  Havana  this  day  six  months.' 

The  Pork  Trust,  it  was  clear,  had  everything  to 
gain  by  a  war  by  which  the  Sugar  Trust  had  every- 


40  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

thing  to  lose.  But,  in  spite  of  Mr.  Stearine's  con- 
fident assurances,  I  continued  to  have  my  own 
opinion  about  the  power  behind  Herr  Kehler. 

'  Do  you  want  me  to  act  ? '  I  demanded  briefly. 

'I  want  you  to  take  a  hand — yes.'  The  Sugar 
Agent  took  out  his  pocket-book,  and  counted  out 
bills  to  the  amount  of  ten  thousand  dollars.  '  You 
can  play  up  to  that,'  he  added,  '  and  then  you  can 
let  me  know  how  the  game  stands.  I  guess  I  shall 
buy  Pork  Consols.' 

With  this  discouraging  observation,  Stearine  left. 

It  did  not  take  me  long  to  decide  on  my  plans. 
As  it  was  not  likely  that  Kehler  was  apprehensive 
of  being  watched,  it  would  be  an  easy  task  to  trace 
him,  and  I  at  once  gave  orders  to  my  staff  to  that 
effect,  with  the  result  that  I  learned  in  a  few  hours 
that  the  Bavarian  had  put  up  at  the  Hotel  des 
Deux  Aigles,  and  was  leaving  by  the  Sud  Express 
for  Madrid. 

I  now  decided  on  one  of  the  boldest  and  most 
effective  strokes  in  my  repertory.  I  went  openly  to 
the  station,  took  my  own  ticket,  and  entered  the 
compartment  of  the  sleeping-car  in  which  Kehler 
had  booked  his  own  place. 

The  real  astonishment  of  the  Bavarian  at  seeing 
me  I  met  with  an  affectation  of  moderate  surprise 
on  my  own  part. 

*  So  you  are  going  with  me  ? '  I  observed. 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     41 

*  With  you  ! '  Kehler  exclaimed. 

'It  appears  so.  No  doubt  you  have  been  in- 
structed ? ' 

Kehler  denied  it  energetically. 

'  But  you  refused  to  participate  in  a  certain  design/ 
he  reminded  me. 

'  I  laid  down  certain  conditions,  which  you  declined 
to  fulfil,  but  which  have  since  been  complied  with  by 
your  principaU 

The  Bavarian  was  thunderstruck.  I  relied  upon 
his  having  reported  his  failure  to  whomever  it  was 
that  had  sent  him  to  me;  and  there  was  nothing 
impossible  in  the  suggestion  that  I  had  in  conse- 
quence been  approached  directly. 

'  You  have  credentials,  I  suppose  ? '  he  asked. 

I  nodded  carelessly. 

'  You  will  convince  me,  perhaps  ? '  he  persisted. 

'  Are  you  authorised  to  convince  me  ? '  was  my 
retort. 

*  You  know  it — no.' 

I  shrugged  my  shoulders  and  remained  silent. 

So  commenced  the  most  extraordinary  journey  I 
have  ever  taken,  a  journey  which  was  destined  to 
end  only  at  Havana.  Across  France  and  Spain  and 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  we  travelled  side  by  side,  each 
unwilling  to  lose  sight  of  the  other;  I,  resolved  to 
find  out  and  if  possible  thwart  the  designs  of  my 
companion ;  Kehler,  unable  to  determine  whether  I 


42  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

was  an  opponent,  a  rival,  or  a  spy  set  over  him  by 
those  on  whose  behalf  he  was  engaged. 

On  the  frontier,  at  Hendaye,  a  despatch  was 
handed  in  to  me  through  the  carriage  window.  It 
was  from  Stearine,  and  contained  these  words,  whose 
terrible  significance  I  was  designed  to  learn  later — 

'  United  States  warship  Maine  arrived  harbour 
Havana.' 

The  agent  of  the  Sugar  Trust  had  been  too  careful 
to  say  more.  But  it  was  clear  that  he  regarded  this 
event  as  a  move  in  the  game  played  by  the  great 
exporting  Trusts. 

From  the  moment  of  our  arrival  in  Madrid  I  was 
no  longer  able  to  keep  a  close  watch  on  Kehler, 
though  by  a  sort  of  tacit  agreement  we  stayed  at 
the  same  hotel.  I  found  out  that  he  was  paying 
visits  to  the  Provincials  of  the  Jesuit  and  Franciscan 
Orders,  and  had  been  admitted  as  a  visitor  to  one  or 
two  convents,  and  for  a  time  I  was  tempted  to  relax 
my  suspicions,  and  to  think  that  the  Bavarian  was 
engaged  in  some  Catholic  espionage.  These  doubts 
were  suddenly  dissipated  by  my  meeting  him  one 
day  in  the  courtyard  of  the  hotel  attired  in  the 
habit  of  a  priest — the  dress  of  which  he  had  been 
deprived  on  account  of  his  youthful  misconduct. 

I  could  not  doubt  that  this  dress  was  a  mere 
disguise,  and  that  it  had  been  assumed  for  a  political 
purpose.     I  went  up  to  him  and  whispered — 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     43 

*  Do  we  still  recognise  each  other,  or  do  you  prefer 
that  we  meet  as  strangers  ? ' 

'As  fellow-travellers  simply,  I  should  prefer,'  he 
responded. 

The  next  day  he  had  disappeared  from  the  hotel. 
I  set  the  agencies  at  my  command  to  work,  and 
learned  without  much  difficulty  that  passages  had 
been  reserved  for  the  false  priest  and  a  Sister  of 
Mercy  travelling  under  his  protection,  on  board  a 
Spanish  steamer  sailing  from  Cadiz  to  Havana. 

Needless  to  add,  I  was  on  board  the  same  steamer 
when  she  quitted  her  moorings  and  breasted  the 
waves  of  the  open  sea.  During  the  voyage  I  had 
many  opportunities  of  watching  Kehler  and  his  com- 
panion, who  were  constantly  together,  holding  long 
private  conversations  in  retired  corners  of  the  vessel. 
The  nun,  who  was  presented  to  me  as  Sister  Marie- 
Joseph,  was  a  pale,  delicate-looking  girl  of  about 
twenty,  with  that  abstracted  look  in  her  eyes  which 
betokens  a  mind  wavering  between  earnestness  and 
hallucination. 

Dimly,  and  through  clouds  of  uncertainty,  I  began 
to  perceive  that  Kehler  had  ransacked  the  convents 
of  Madrid  for  a  suitable  instrument,  and  that  he 
was  hard  at  work  hypnotising  the  unfortunate  girl's 
mind,  so  as  to  prepare  it  for  any  suggestion  he 
might  have  to  make. 

Before  we  reached  Cuba  I  contrived  to  speak  to 


44     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

the  Sister  apart.  I  found  her  reserved  and  dis- 
trustful of  a  heretic,  as  she  had  evidently  been  told 
to  consider  me.  On  my  satisfying  her  that  I  had 
been  brought  up  a  Catholic,  she  became  slightly 
more  communicative,  and  revealed  a  disposition 
singularly  sincere  and  devoted,  but  almost  morbid 
in  its  detestation  of  Protestantism,  She  betrayed  a 
feeling  of  horror  at  the  idea  of  American  domination 
in  the  Catholic  island  of  Cuba,  and  it  was  in  vain 
that  I  represented  to  her  the  generous  tolerance 
accorded  to  our  religion  in  the  United  States. 

I  did  not  dare  to  ask  her  the  subject  of  her 
conferences  with  Kehler.  To  have  hinted  at  the 
Bavarian's  true  character  would  have  been  simply 
to  forfeit  her  confidence  in  myself.  I  decided  to 
reserve  my  efforts  in  this  direction  until  our  arrival 
in  Havana,  where  I  did  not  doubt  that  I  should  be 
able  to  find  some  responsible  ecclesiastic  who  would 
undertake  the  investigation  of  Kehler's  antecedents. 

In  the  meantime  I  could  only  wait  and  watch. 
I  was  painfully  impressed  by  the  steady  growth  of 
the  false  priest's  influence  over  his  victim,  who 
seemed  at  last  to  respond  to  his  least  word  or 
gesture.  I  had  before  me  the  spectacle  of  a  possible 
Teresa  or  Elizabeth  being  gradually  transformed  into 
a  Ravaillac  by  the  dexterous  touches  of  a  rascally 
police  agent. 

As  soon  as  we  entered  the  harbour  Kehler  and 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     45 

his  companion  got  ready  to  disembark.  I  noticed 
that  at  this  moment  they  were  separated,  the  Sister 
going  ashore  by  herself  with  a  large  basket  trunk, 
while  her  protector  followed  at  some  distance  behind. 

They  met  again  at  the  hotel,  to  which  I  had 
accompanied  the  man.  By  this  time  I  had  forced 
a  certain  degree  of  acquaintance  on  the  couple, 
though  I  was  unable  to  interrupt  the  intimacy  of 
their  private  intercourse.  I  arranged  to  secure  a 
room  next  to  that  of  the  Sister,  and  I  observed 
with  some  surprise  that  Herr  Kehler  was  lodged  in 
another  wing  of  the  building. 

By  a  coincidence  we  found  the  hotel  full  of  naval 
oflficers  from  the  Maine,  who  had  chosen  it  for 
their  headquarters  while  on  shore.  Instead  of  dis- 
concerting Kehler,  this  circumstance  appeared  to 
give  him  every  satisfaction. 

He  went  out  of  his  way  to  show  civility  to  the 
Americans,  and  rapidly  became  intimate  with  several 
of  them.  Sister  Marie-Joseph,  on  the  other  hand, 
held  sullenly  aloof,  scarcely  able  to  repress  some 
signs  of  the  abhorrence  which  the  sight  of  the 
heretics  inspired. 

The  visit  of  the  Maine  was  understood  to  be 
a  pacific  one.  It  was  a  demonstration  to  the 
world  that  the  relations  between  the  United  States 
and  Spain  continued  to  be  those  of  perfect  friend- 
ship, and  that   the  former   Power  was  inspired  by 


46  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

peaceful  motives  in  seeking  to  bring  about  an  under- 
standing between  the  belligerent  Cubans  and  the 
mother-country. 

Nevertheless  it  was  an  imprudent  act  to  send  a 
man-of-war,  flying  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  into  the 
harbour  of  a  place  swarming  with  fanatical  Spaniards, 
furious  at  the  interference  of  another  Power  between 
them  and  their  revolted  subjects.  It  was,  in  fact, 
a  provocation,  and  it  was  not  surprising  that  the 
astute  agent  of  the  Sugar  Trust  had  seen  in  this 
proceeding  the  work  of  those  commercial  powers 
whose  interest  lay  in  the  direction  of  a  rupture. 

Faithful  to  my  preconceived  intention,  I  took  an 
early  opportunity  of  waiting  upon  a  high  Church 
functionary  in  the  city,  to  warn  him  of  the  true 
character  of  the  Bavarian. 

The  reception  I  met  with  was  a  cold  one,  however. 
Monsignor  X allowed  me  to  see  that  he  con- 
sidered me  an  officious  person. 

'  May  I  ask  what  is  your  interest  in  all  this  ? '  he 
demanded,  as  soon  as  I  had  made  my  statement. 

'  I  represent  the  Sugar  Trust,'  I  told  him. 

'  The  Sugar  Trust  ? ' 

'  The  manufacturers  of  sugar  in  the  United  States, 
who  fear  the  competition  of  cane  sugar,  and  are 
therefore  opposed  to  the  annexation  of  Cuba,  which 
would  involve  free  trade  with  the  island,'  I  ex- 
plained. 


^ii^ 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     47 

*  And  you  suggest  that  this  Father  Kehler ? ' 

'  Herr  Kehler,'  I  corrected.  '  This  man  is  no  more 
a  priest  than  I  am.  He  is  believed  to  be  the  agent 
of  a  Chicago  Trust,  which  desires  to  see  Cuba  brought 
within  the  Union.' 

'We  shall  find  out  whether  he  is  a  priest,'  was 
the  retort.  '  Before  he  can  say  Mass  in  this  diocese 
he  will  have  to  apply  for  permission,  and  to  show 
his  ordination  papers.' 

'But  if  he  does  not  wish  to  say  Mass?  If  he 
merely  confines  himself  to  directing  the  Sister  whom 
he  has  conducted  here  ? ' 

'In  that  case  we  cannot  interfere.  We  have  no 
more  proof  that  she  is  a  Sister  than  that  he  is  a 
priest  ? ' 

I  gave  Monsignor  X an  indignant  look,  which 

he  bore  with  coolness. 

'  Besides,  what  is  it  that  you  apprehend  ? '  he  asked. 
'  One  cannot  deal  with  imaginary  dangers.' 

'I  am  sure  that  these  two  persons  are  bent  on 
some  desperate  enterprise — that  their  presence  in 
Havana  bodes  no  good  to  the  cause  of  peace,'  was 
all  I  could  find  to  say. 

The  ecclesiastic  made  a  scornful  gesture. 

'  It  appears  to  me  that  this  is  a  matter  which 
concerns  the  police,'  he  said,  in  a  tone  which  signified 
that  the  interview  was  at  an  end. 

I  returned  to   my  quarters,  realising  to  the  full 


48  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

tlie  difficulty  of  any  effective  action.  To  go  to  the 
police  would  be  merely  to  invite  a  repetition  of  the 
snub  which  I  had  just  received  from  the  ecclesiastical 
authority.     I  could  only  rely  on  my  own  resources. 

I  sent  a  wire  to  Stearine :  '  War  agent  here  as 
priest,  accomjyanied  by  nun,'  and  waited.  It  was 
just  possible  that  Stearine  might  have  connections 
through  which  those  who  had  power  in  the  Church 
at  Havana  might  be  influenced,  in  which  case  I  had 

no  doubt  that  Monsignor  X would  very  quickly 

become  interested  in  the  doings  of '  Father '  Kehler. 

I  can  hardly  tell  what  it  was  precisely  that  I 
expected  to  happen.  I  had  some  idea  of  an  assas- 
sination, possibly  of  the  captain  of  the  Maine,  or 
perhaps  of  the  American  Consul,  by  Sister  Marie- 
Joseph. 

Day  by  day  I  perceived  the  unhappy  girl  becom- 
ing more  and  more  wrought  up  to  the  pitch  of 
enthusiasm  necessary  for  the  perpetration  of  some 
hideous  deed,  like  that  of  Charlotte  Corday,  or 
Judith.  Curiously  enough,  the  poor  Sister  showed 
an  inclination  for  my  society,  perhaps  because  I  was 
a  familiar  face.  She  would  sit  beside  me  in  the 
drawing-room  of  the  hotel  and  talk  about  her  con- 
vent, in  which  she  had  been  educated  and  passed 
most  of  her  life. 

I  learned  that  she  was  of  a  noble  family,  rendered 
poor  by  the  ravages  committed  in  the  course  of  the 


She  would  talk  about  her  couveiil." 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     49 

Cuban  insurrection,  a  fact  which  may  have  helped  to 
exasperate  her  spirit.  But  I  sought  in  vain  to  draw 
her  into  any  confidences  on  the  subject  of  her 
mission  to  Havana.  The  moment  I  touched  on 
that  topic  she  became  dumb,  and  made  an  excuse  to 
leave  me. 

During  the  next  few  days  I  observed  the  intimacy 
between  Kehler  and  the  American  officers  becoming 
closer.  The  German  could  speak  English  fluently, 
and  this  circumstance  naturally  recommended  him 
as  a  companion  in  a  place  where  Spanish  and  French 
are  almost  the  only  languages  known  to  the  in- 
habitants. There  was  a  young  lieutenant,  or  sub- 
lieutenant, in  particular,  who  was  constantly  in 
Kehler's  company,  viewing  the  sights  of  the  town,  or 
smoking  with  him  on  the  hotel  verandah.  Suspect- 
ing that  my  man  had  some  object  in  cultivating  this 
lieutenant,  I  endeavoured  to  make  his  acquaintance 
myself,  only  to  find  my  advances  rebuffed  in  a 
manner  which  showed  me  plainly  that  Kehler  had 
been  at  work  disparaging  me  beforehand. 

One  day  as  I  was  standing  on  the  verandah  I 
noticed  the  pair  come  out  of  the  hotel  together,  and 
turn  in  the  direction  of  the  harbour.  I  followed  at 
a  discreet  distance,  and  saw  the  officer  conduct 
Kehler  into  a  boat,  manned  by  sailors  from  the 
Maine,  in  which  they  pulled  off  to  the  ship.  I 
stood  watching,  and   at  the  end  of  about  an  hour  I 

D 


50  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

saw  them  coming  back,  the  face  of  the  false  priest 
wearing  a  serious  expression. 

I  took  advantage  of  my  acquaintance  with  him 
to  meet  the  pair  as  they  landed,  and  accost  them 
carelessly. 

'  You  have  been  to  have  a  look  over  the  ship  ? '  I 
threw  out. 

Kehler  tried  to  pass  on  with  a  careless  nod,  but 
the  lieutenant,  less  discreet,  drew  himself  up  with  a 
severe  glance  at  me. 

'  Father  Kehler  has  been  good  enough  to  visit  a 
poor  sailor  who  is  lying  sick  on  board,*  he  said,  in  a 
tone  evidently  meant  to  rebuke  my  impertinence. 

I  bowed  with  assumed  respect.  But  as  they  went 
on  their  way  I  experienced  a  sensation  of  alarm. 
The  pretext  which  had  imposed  on  the  officer  was 
transparent  enough  as  far  as  I  was  concerned.  I 
realised  that  Kehler  was  steadily  pursuing  some 
well-thought-out  design,  and  that  he  had  contrived 
this  visit  to  the  man-of-war  with  some  dark  purpose 
which  it  was  my  business  to  discover. 

I  determined  at  length,  since  Kehler's  friend  was 
so  strongly  prejudiced,  to  seek  out  some  other 
officer,  preferably  the  commander,  and  take  him 
into  my  full  confidence.  Unhappily  events  marched 
too  swiftly  for  me.  That  very  evening  it  was  already 
too  late. 

Passing   through   the    entrance  hall  on  my  way 


Fallier  Keliler  has  been  good  enouj^li  [o  vi^^it  a  poor  sailor  wlio 
is  lying  bick  on  board,'  he  said,  in  a  tone  evidently  meant 
to  rebuke  my  imi'crtinence." 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     51 

upstairs  to  dress  for  dinner,  I  was  struck  by  the 
sight  of  the  basket-trunk  belonging  to  Sister  Marie- 
Joseph  standing  strapped-up,  ready  to  go  away.  At 
the  foot  of  the  staircase  I  encountered  the  Sister 
herself,  evidently  prepared  for  departure. 

She  appeared  pleased  to  have  the  opportunity  of 
bidding  me  farewell. 

'I  shall  not  forget  you  where  I  am  going,'  she 
said  with  a  mournful  smile,  as  she  extended  her 
hand. 

'  May  one  inquire  where  that  will  be  ? '  I  ventured 
to  ask. 

She  shook  her  head. 

'  It  is  an  affair  of  duty.  I  am  going  a  very  long 
way,  and  you  will  never  see  me  again.' 

'  And  Father  Kehler,'  I  forced  myself  to  say, '  does 
he  accompany  you  ?  * 

A  momentary  expression  of  repugnance,  almost  of 
loathing,  flashed  out  on  her  pale  face. 

'  No,  no !  The  padre  has  done  his  part  in  conduct- 
ing me  so  far,  and  finding  me  the  situation  of 
which  I  was  in  search.  I  have  parted  with  him 
now,  and  we  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  one 
another.' 

This  answer  relieved  my  mind  of  a  burden.  I 
came  hastily  to  the  conclusion  that  Kehler,  finding 
himself  able  to  carry  out  his  projects  without  assist- 
ance, had  decided  to  dispense  with  an  embarrassing 


52     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

ally,  and  I  was  glad  to  think  that  this  poor  girl 
would  be  delivered  from  his  evil  influence. 

What  blindness  are  we  capable  of  towards  those 
very  things  which  seem  the  clearest  to  our  after- 
recollections  ! 

I  took  the  precaution  to  ascertain  at  the  bureau 
that  Kehler  was  still  staying  on  in  the  hotel,  and  I 
came  down  to  dinner  with  a  light  heart. 

A  number  of  the  American  officers  were  dining  in 
the  hotel  that  night.  There  appeared  to  be  a  sort 
of  entertainment  going  forward,  in  which  some 
Spanish  officers  from  the  garrison  were  fraternising 
with  them. 

Kehler,  deprived  of  the  company  of  his  lieutenant, 
sat  at  a  small  table  by  himself,  and  I  noticed  that 
he  was  drinking  heavily,  while  his  flushed  face  and 
inflamed  eyes  showed  him  to  be  labouring  with  an 
excitement  which  I  ascribed  to  the  influence  of 
the  wine. 

I  sat  down  at  another  table,  and  busied  myself 
with  efforts  to  disentangle  the  threads  of  the  intrigue 
which  was  being  woven  around  me.  I  cast  a  thought 
or  two  after  the  poor  girl,  with  whom  I  had  been  so 
strangely  associated. 

Absorbed  in  these  thoughts,  I  did  not  mark  the 
evening  advancing,  when  I  was  gradually  aroused  by 
the  breaking  up  of  the  military  party.  The  lieu- 
tenant, who  had  shown  so  strong  a  dislike  for  me, 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE     53 

rose  from  his  seat  and  came  my  way,  taking  a 
Spanish  officer  by  the  arm. 

As  they  approached,  I  perceived  from  his  gait 
that  the  American  had  been  affected  by  the  healths 
he  had  been  drinking.  I  saw  him  point  me  out 
to  his  companion  as  they  approached,  and  he 
muttered  something  in  the  other's  ear,  which  caused 
the  Spaniard  to  turn  on  me  a  glance  of  grave 
disgust. 

Stung  by  this  insufferable  insolence,  I  sprang  to 
my  feet,  and  placed  myself  in  front  of  the  lieutenant. 

'Have  you  anything  to  say  to  me,  sir?'  I  said 
sternly. 

'  Nothing.  I  do  not  talk  with  spies,'  was  the  coarse 
retort. 

'  But  you  take  them  on  board  the  ship  it  is  your 
duty  to  guard,'  I  returned  fiercely,  carried  out  of 
myself. 

The  lieutenant  drew  back,  amazed. 

*  I  have  taken  a  worthy  priest  to  console  a  dying 
man — one  of  his  own  faith,'  he  stammered  out. 

'A  German  police  agent,  disguised  as  a  priest,  I 
suppose  you  mean.     The  spy  Kehler  ? ' 

He  began  to  tremble  violently.  '  But  the  Sister ! 
The  nurse ! ' 

'  Sister  Marie- Joseph !    What  do  you  mean  ? ' 

'  She  is  on  board  now,  nursing  O'Callaghan.' 

It  was  my  turn  to  utter  an  oath  of  consternation. 


54  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Come  with  me.  Take  me  on  board  instantly,  or 
take  me  to  your  commander.' 

'  We  will  go  on  board,'  said  the  sobered  lieutenant. 

Glancing  round  as  I  followed  him  out  I  saw  that 
Kehler  had  disappeared.  Quickening  our  steps  by 
a  common  instinct,  the  lieutenant  and  I  almost  ran 
down  to  the  water's  edge. 

'  Thank  God ! '  burst  from  his  lips  as  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  majestic  vessel  lying  peacefully  at  her 
anchors  in  the  calm  waters  of  the  bay,  her  spars  and 
turrets  outlined  against  the  clear,  starlit  sky,  and 
only  a  few  twinkling  lights  betraying  the  presence 
of  the  two  hundred  men  who  slept  below  her  decks. 
The  same  instant  there  was  a  spout  of  fire,  a  cloud 
of  wreck  and  dust  mounted  to  heaven,  and  a 
thunderous  boom  stunned  our  ears,  and  sent  the 
waters  of  the  bay  dashing  up  at  our  feet. 

The  Maine  had  broken  like  a  bubble.  I  saw  all 
in  a  flash — in  some  dark  way  that  will  never  now  be 
revealed  Sister  Marie- Joseph  had  blown  up  the  Maine. 
Kehler  had  succeeded — I  had  failed. 

It  has  not  been  easy  for  me  to  write  the  story  of 
what  I  regard  as  the  greatest  failure  of  my  career. 
My  mistake  was  the  initial  one  of  refusing  to  purchase 
Kehler's  confidences,  by  the  expedient  of  pledging 
myself  to  assist  his  enterprise. 

Immediately  the  intelligence  of  the  disaster  reached 
Europe  Stearine  sent  me  a  cable  peremptorily  en- 


THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE  MAINE      55 

joining  silence.  That  injunction  I  consider  has  now 
lost  its  force  through  three  circumstances,  the  lapse 

of  time,  the  death  in  action  of  Lieutenant  ,  and 

the  living  suicide  of  the  arch-criminal,  haunted  by 
the  horror  of  his  own  deed,  in  the  deathlike  cloisters 
of  La  Trappe. 


Ill 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS 

Every  one  must  feel  that  the  last  word  has  not 
been  said  on  that  extraordinary  transaction  which 
convulsed  France,  and  shocked  Europe,  during  the 
close  of  the  nineteenth  century,  under  the  name  of 
the  Dreyfus  Case. 

It  is  true  that  no  effort  has  been  spared  by  the 
Government  of  the  Republic  to  put  an  end  to  an 
agitation  which  threatened  to  develop  into  a  civil 
war.  A  general  amnesty  has  been  proclaimed ;  the 
courts  of  law  have  been  forbidden  to  entertain  any 
proceedings  involving  the  guilt  or  innocence  of 
Captain  Dreyfus,  his  accusers  or  his  partisans,  and 
the  French  press  has  been  appealed  to,  in  the  name 
of  patriotism,  to  close  its  columns  to  all  further 
discussion  of  the  dangerous  topic. 

Such  an  attitude,  adopted  in  order  to  save  France 
from  disruption,  is  not  without  a  certain  dignity; 
but  it  is  at  the  same  time  terribly  unjust.  It  is  as  if 
France  had  repeated  to  the  victim  of  the  Devil's  Isle 

56 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    57 

the  memorable  words — 'It  is  better  that  one  man 
should  die  for  the  people.' 

The  one  person  in  Europe  who  is  completely- 
ignorant  of  the  'true  motives  underlying  this  grim 
tragedy  is  without  doubt  Dreyfus  himself.  That 
taciturn,  commonplace  figure,  suddenly  elevated 
into  the  position  of  criminal,  martyr,  and  hero, 
was  merely  the  shuttlecock  driven  through  the  air 
by  unseen  hands.  Even  if  he  was  guilty  of  writing 
the  celebrated  bordereau — a  question  which  the 
Court  of  Rennes  decided  in  the  affirmative — he 
must  have  done  it  by  the  order  of  others,  given 
for  reasons  which  he  did  not  comprehend. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  before  and  during  the 
second  trial  of  Dreyfus,  the  strongest  efforts  were 
put  forth  on  his  behalf  by  three  foreign  Powers — 
those  composing  the  Triple  Alliance.  The  German, 
Austrian,  and  Italian  military  attaches,  breaking 
through  the  etiquette  of  their  position,  disclaimed, 
each  on  his  personal  word  of  honour,  any  dealings 
with  the  alleged  spy. 

Not  only  so,  but  I  myself  sent  for  the  Paris  corre- 
spondent of  a  London  newspaper  of  high  standing, 
and  authorised  him  to  inform  his  readers  that  the 
German  Emperor  himself  was  prepared  personally 
to  exculpate  the  accused  from  the  charge  of  selling 
information  to  Germany. 

This  oflfer,  made  privately  to  the  French  Presi- 


58     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

dent,  was  declined  for  the  same  reasons  which 
prompted  the  Government  to  hush  up  the  whole 
affair.  But  every  thoughtful  man  will  realise  that 
it  would  not  have  been  made  unless  there  had 
been  more  at  stake  than  the  freedom  of  an  obscure 
captain. 

My  own  connection  with  the  Affaire  Dreyfus  dates 
from  the  time  of  the  first  trial  and  sentence,  when 
the  theatrical  spectacle  of  the  degradation  of  the 
unfortunate  officer  was  the  theme  of  universal  com- 
ment.     At   this  juncture   I   received  a  visit  from 

Colonel  ,   an    officer    high    in    the    Emperor's 

confidence,  and  at  that  time  attached  to  the  German 
Embassy  in  Paris. 

'  I  have  come  to  you,'  he  announced,  as  soon  as 
we  found  ourselves  alone,  '  by  command  of  his 
Imperial  Majesty  the  Kaiser.' 

I  bowed  respectfully  as  I  replied — 

*  I  am  deeply  honoured  by  this  fresh  proof  of  his 
Majesty's  confidence.' 

The  Colonel  regarded  me  for  a  moment  with  some 
curiosity. 

'You  are  a  sort  of  spy,  are  you  not?*  he  in- 
quired. 

I  refused  to  take  oifence  at  this  blunt  question,  so 
natural  on  the  part  of  a  soldier. 

'  Each  of  us  has  his  own  part  to  play,'  I  explained 
suavely.      'The  soldier  fights  with   the  enemy  in 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    59 

the  open  field;    the  man   of  my  profession  has  to 
encounter  the  foes  who  burrow  underground.'        i- 

Colonel  ■ appeared  satisfied, 

'The  Kaiser  trusts  you;  that  is  enough  for  me,' 
he  declared.  'You  will  not  dare  to  betray  this 
confidence  ? ' 

This  time  I  rose  to  my  feet,  stern  and  con- 
temptuous. 

'  You  have  not  come  here  to  insult  me,  I  suppose, 
Colonel  ?  If  you  are  the  bearer  of  instructions  from 
the  Kaiser,  be  good  enough  to  deliver  them  without 
comment ;  if  not,  I  will  attend  to  my  other  business.' 

The  German's  face  betrayed  his  astonishment  at 
this  rebuke.  He  hastened  to  mutter  an  apology, 
which  I  received  in  silence. 

'His  Majesty  wishes  you  to  investigate  this  Affaire 
Dreyfus,  on  his  behalf.  There  is  some  secret  motive 
for  the  notoriety  which  they  are  conferring  on  this 
unlucky  spy ' — the  Colonel  gave  me  an  apprehensive 
glance  as  he  pronounced  this  word — '  and  the  Kaiser 
is  determined  to  find  out  what  it  is.  It  appears 
that  we  are  being  made  a  sort  of  stalking-horse  in 
the  business;  it  is  pretended  that  Dreyfus  was  an 
agent  of  ours,  which  is  utterly  untrue.'  The  German 
smiled  sardonically  as  he  added  :  '  Our  information 
is  supplied  to  us  from  higher  sources  than  a  simple 
captain  of  artillery,  and  we  can  get  as  much  as  we 
choose  to  pay  for.' 


60     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Is  it  not  likely  that  Dreyfus  may  be  the  scape- 
goat of  others — perhaps  those  higher  sources  to  which 
you  refer  ? ' 

The  Colonel  shook  his  head. 

'  That  does  not  explain  the  persistence  with  which 
they  are  trying  to  connect  the  affair  with  Germany. 
I  have  information  that  the  heads  of  the  French 
Army  are  representing  that  France  is  in  actual 
danger.  The  bitterness  with  which  Dreyfus  is 
assailed  is  due,  they  pretend,  to  a  sense  of  the 
national  peril.' 

'  And  all  that  is  quite  untrue,  I  understand  ? ' 

'So  untrue  that  I  have  reason  to  know  that 
Wilhelm   II.   has  a  particular  desire  to  conciliate 

the  French '     The  Colonel  stopped  abruptly  as 

if  he  had  been  on  the  point  of  saying  too  much. 

'  Very  good.  Then  I  am  to  find  out  for  his 
Majesty  as  much  as  I  can  about  this  affair,  and 
particularly  why  it  is  sought  to  represent  Dreyfus 
as  an  agent  of  Germany  ? ' 

Colonel nodded. 

It  was  not  an  easy  task  to  set  me ;  nevertheless, 
I  had  some  hope  of  success.  It  so  happened  that 
I  had  formerly  had  transactions  of  a  confidential 
nature  with  General  Garnier,  one  of  the  foremost, 
if  not  the  foremost,  figure  among  the  persecutors  of 
Dreyfus.  I  had  the  right  to  approach  this  General 
as  a  friend,  and  I  had  reasons  for  believing  that  he 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    61 

might  be  willing  to  open  his  mouth  for  a  sufficient 
consideration. 

Shortly  after  Colonel  — — 's  departure,  therefore, 
I  strolled  round  to  the  General's  private  residence, 
off  the  Avenue  Clichy.  Gamier  was  not  at  home, 
but  I  left  a  message  with  the  concierge  that  the 
dealer  in  old  coins,  who  had  formerly  sold  him  some 
Roman  specimens,  had  just  obtained  others  which 
he  was  anxious  to  submit  for  inspection. 

As  I  anticipated,  this  message  had  the  desired 
result  of  bringing  General  Garnier  to  see  me  the 
same  night.  He  came,  not  to  my  public  bureau, 
but  to  a  little  apartment  in  the  Quartier  Latin  which 
I  rent  for  the  purpose  of  interviews  with  clients  who 
do  not  wish  their  acquaintance  with  me  to  be  known. 

It  was  evident  that  my  summons  had  annoyed, 
perhaps  frightened,  him. 

'Now,  Monsieur  V ,  what   does  this  mean?' 

he  blustered,  as  I  closed  the  door  behind  him. 

'It  means,  Monsieur  le  General,  that  I  have  a 
question  to  ask  you,  but  that  I  do  not  expect  you 
to  answer  it  for  nothing.' 

Garnier  was  visibly  relieved  to  discover  that  I  had 
not  sent  for  him  to  extort  blackmail.  But  his  reply 
was  not  encouraging. 

'  I  fear  that  you  have  given  yourself  trouble  use- 
lessly. It  is  not  my  intention  to  sell  any  information 
of  a  kind  which  cannot  be  given  openly.' 


62     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  knew  the  man  I  was  dealing  with  too  well  to 
take  this  answer  as  final. 

'  Without  doubt  you  are  right  to  remind  me  that 
a  man  like  yourself  ought  to  be  approached  with  a 
great  deal  of  circumsj)ection,'  I  returned,  with  a 
mixture  of  politeness  and  irony. 

Garnier's  face  flushed. 

'  I  mean  what  I  have  said,'  he  affirmed.  '  You 
must  not  suppose  that  you  are  dealing  to-day  with 
Colonel  Garnier,  In  my  position  one  has  responsi- 
bilities to  which  there  attaches  itself  a  sentiment 
of  honour,  you  understand,  M.  V ? ' 

My  experience  has  not  taught  me  that  men  become 
more  scrupulous  by  being  promoted  from  the  rank 
of  Colonel  to  that  of  General,  but  only  that  they 
become  more  greedy.    I  replied — 

'  I  understand  of  course  that  one  does  not  buy  old 
coins  at  the  same  price  from  a  general  officer  as  from 
a  field  officer,' 

Garnier's  face  assumed  a  look  of  indecision. 

'  For  whom  are  you  acting,  this  time  ?  *  he 
demanded. 

'  General,  if  any  one  had  asked  me  formerly  from 
where  I  had  procured  my  Roman  coins,  what  do  you 
suppose  my  answer  would  have  been  ?  * 

G^arnier  tugged  thoughtfully  at  his  moustache,  as 
he  frowned  over  a  refusal  which  was,  at  the  same 
time,  a  proof  that  he  could  trust  me. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    63 

'  Suppose  you  explain  to  me  what  information  you 
are  in  search  of  ? '  he  said,  throwing  himself  into  a 
chair. 

I  thought  the  battle  was  won,  as  I  responded — 

'  It  concerns  the  Dreyfus  Case.' 

To  my  surprise.  Gamier  bounded  out  of  the  seat 
into  which  he  had  just  dropped. 

'  As  to  that  —  impossible  ! '  he  exclaimed  with 
vigour.     '  That  is  our  secret — ours,  you  understand.' 

I  listened  to  this  declaration  with  secret  dismay. 
It  revealed  to  me  that  the  fate  of  Dreyfus  was  in 
some  manner  connected  with  the  interest  of  the 
heads  of  the  French  Army,  in  short,  with  Garnier's 
own;  and  from  his  tone  I  suspected  that  I  was 
questioning  the  arch-plotter. 

There  was  still  the  chance  that  he  might  be  will- 
ing to  part  with  the  secret  if  he  could  be  assured 
that  it  would  not  be  used  against  him. 

'  Suppose  I  required  this  information  on  behalf 
of  a  friendly  monarch,  who  is  himself  a  soldier, 
and  who  might  be  willing  to  pledge  his  word  that 
it  should  not  be  made  use  of  to  your  disadvantage  ? ' 

Garnier  gazed  at  me  as  though  he  would  have  read 
the  name  of  this  monarch  in  my  eyes. 

'  Impossible,'  he  repeated,  in  a  tone  of  real  regret ; 
'  twice  impossible  I '  And,  as  though  anxious  to  con- 
vince me  that  his  refusal  was  not  unfriendly,  he 
added — '  It  is  not  a  question  of  a  Boulanger  this  time.' 


G4  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Perceiving  that  I  could  not  press  him  further  with- 
out showing  my  own  hand,  I  reluctantly  allowed 
Garnier  to  depart.  He  had  in  reality  told  me  more 
than  he  suspected. 

In  the  first  place,  he  had  convinced  me  that  the 
Kaiser's  suspicions  were  not  idle,  by  his  reception  of 
my  hint  that  I  was  acting  for  a  foreign  Power.  If 
the  ferocious  sentence  on  Dreyfus  had  been  inspired 
by  spite  against  an  unpopular  officer,  or  by  a  desire 
to  find  a  scapegoat  for  bigger  traitors ;  or  if  it  had 
merely  been  an  episode  in  the  secret  duel  between 
the  Church  and  the  Freemasons,  as  the  champions  of 
Dreyfus  were  inclined  to  believe,  there  would  have 
been  no  meaning  in  that  regretful '  Twice  impossible! ' 
If  Garnier  had  refused  to  sell  his  secret  to  a  foreign 
Power,  I  knew  him  well  enough  to  feel  assured  that 
it  must  be  because  that  Power  was  in  some  way  inter- 
ested to  defeat  Garnier's  conspiracy. 

But  the  real  clue  had  been  placed  in  my  hands  by 
those  concluding  words — 'It  is  not  a  question  of  a 
Boulanger  this  time.' 

Such  a  phrase  constituted  a  riddle  which  few 
men  in  Europe  were  better  able  than  myself  to 
decipher. 

Boulanger  was  an  adventurer,  lifted  on  a  wave  of 
popular  favour,  who  had  seemed  likely  at  one  moment 
to  overturn  the  republic  and  replace  it  by  a  military 
dictatorship  with  himself  at  the  head.     He  had  failed 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    65 

because  he  was  a  mere  adventurer,  who  represented 
no  principle,  and  who  lacked  that  personal  prestige 
with  the  Army  which  is  only  acquired  by  successful 
leadership  in  war. 

Nevertheless  his  career  had  revealed  the  weakness 
of  the  Republic,  and  proved  that  all  that  was  neces- 
sary to  bring  about  its  downfall  was  an  alliance 
between  the  military  caste  and  some  pretender  with 
more  substantial  claims  than  those  conferred  by  the 
shouts  of  the  Paris  mob. 

Every  one  who  knows  anything  of  France  knows 
that  the  soldiers  have  long  chafed  under  the  ascend- 
ency of  the  lawyers,  which  is  a  necessary  consequence 
of  Republican  institutions.  But  Garnier's  words,  if  I 
interpreted  them  rightly,  showed  that  the  lesson  of 
Boulanger's  failure  had  been  laid  to  heart,  and  that 
this  time  the  military  conspiracy  which  undoubtedly 
existed  had  found  a  really  formidable  figurehead.  In 
short,  it  was  a  question  not  of  a  military  dictator,  but 
of  a  monarch ;  not  of  a  Boulanger,  but  of  a  Bourbon 
or  a  Bonaparte. 

I  found  myself  on  the  brink  of  a  discovery  of  first- 
rate  importance.  For  the  success  of  such  a  military 
revolution  as  that  indicated  only  two  things  seemed 
necessary,  a  candidate  and  an  occasion.  If  my 
diagnosis  were  sound,  a  candidate  had  been  found 
in  Philippe  d'Orlfvans,  the  representative  of  the 
ancient  monarchy,  or  Victor  Napoleon,  the  heir  of 

E 


06  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

the  Bonapartes.     The  occasion  was  to  be  furnished, 
perhaps,  by  the  long-delayed  war  of  la  revanche ! 

As  soon  as  I  had  reduced  my  thoughts  to  some 
sort  of  order  I  decided  that  my  next  step  must  be  to 
ascertain  which  of  the  two  pretenders,  who  seemed 
pointed  out  for  the  leading  role  in  such  a  conspiracy, 
was  the  chosen  one.  The  Duke  of  Orleans  was  at 
this  time  in  England,  while  the  home  of  Prince 
Napoleon,  as  every  one  knows,  is  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Brussels. 

I  despatched  two  of  my  most  trusted  subordinates, 
one  to  Belgium,  and  the  other  to  England,  with  in- 
structions to  keep  a  close  watch  on  the  movements 
of  both  princes,  and  to  let  me  know  if  there  were  any 
signs  of  unusual  activity  which  would  indicate  that 
some  stroke  was  in  preparation. 

In  Paris  I  kept  up  a  similar  watch  on  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Royalist  and  Bonapartist  parties. 
The  Royalists  are  formidable,  thanks  to  the  influence 
of  society ;  but  the  Bonapartist  cause  is  represented 
by  a  small  and  dwindling  clique  of  journalists  and 
demagogues,  who  exhaust  themselves  in  the  effort  to 
revive  the  Napoleonic  legend,  by  their  parrot-like 
repetition  of  the  words  Marengo  and  Austerlitz. 

I  did  not  imagine  that  this  noisy  faction  would  be 
intrusted  with  any  important  secret ;  and  I  was  soon 
satisfied  that  if  the  chiefs  of  the  Army  Avere  really 
contemplatmg  a  restoration,  Bourbon  or  Bonapartist, 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    67 

they  had  kept  their  design  entirely  to  them- 
selves. 

The  first  reports  which  I  received  from  my  agents 
abroad  were  discouraging.  The  Bourbon  Pretender, 
who  is  without  reticence,  and  seeks  every  opportunity 
of  advertising  his  personality,  appeared  to  be  quite 
passive  for  the  moment. 

Prince  Victor  Napoleon,  a  man  of  a  very  different 
character,  who  withdraws  himself  as  much  as  possible 
from  public  notice,  conscious,  perhaps,  that  he  has 
inherited  some  of  his  father's  unpopularity,  was  also 
leading  his  usual  quiet  life,  and  no  evidence  was 
forthcoming  of  any  secret  intelligence  between  him 
and  the  group  of  generals  who  controlled  the  French 
army. 

Things  were  in  this  position,  and  I  was  beginning 
to  feel  dissatisfied  with  the  slow  progress  I  was 
making,  when  I  was  suddenly  called  to  the  telephone 
one  evening  by  my  agent  in  Brussels,  who  had  at 
last  some  important  news  for  me. 

'  Prince  Victor  is  going  to  England,'  he  announced, 
after  we  had  exchanged  the  password. 

'To  England!'  Was  it  possible  that  the  two 
rivals  were  about  to  meet  ?  I  asked  myself.  '  When 
does  he  depart  ? ' 

'Perhaps  to-morrow.  His  secretary  has  been  to 
the  Belgian  Foreign  Office  to  procure  passports.' 

'  There  are  no  passports  required  in  England,'  I 


08     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

returned,    my    suspicions    instantly    roused.     'You 
have  been  deceived.     Have  you  seen  the  passport  ? ' 

'  No.  It  was  from  the  servants  that  I  learned  the 
Prince  was  going  to  England.' 

'It  is  a  blind,  rest  assured.  Keep  the  strictest 
watch,  and  do  not  allow  him  to  leave  Brussels  without 
you.     I  shall  come  by  the  next  train.' 

I  rang  off  the  communication,  and  hastened  to 
make  the  necessary  preparations  for  a  journey  of 
which  I  could  not  foresee  the  end. 

On  alighting  in  the  Belgian  capital  I  was  met  by 
my  faithful  henchman,  who  informed  me  with  spark- 
ling eyes  that  he  had  succeeded,  by  means  of  a  bribe, 
in  ascertaining  from  a  clerk  in  the  Foreign  Office 
that  a  passport  had  been  granted  to  the  Comte  de 
Saint  Pol  and  secretary,  travelling  to  Berlin. 

If  anything  had  been  needed  to  convince  me  that 
the  journey  of  Prince  Napoleon  had  a  serious  pur- 
pose, these  concealments  would  have  done  so.  I  was 
now  confident  that  I  was  on  the  right  track,  and  I 
did  not  grudge  the  fatigue  involved  in  a  journey 
across  Europe. 

I  ordered  Fouque,  as  my  man  was  named,  to  re- 
sume his  watch  on  the  Prince's  abode,  while  I  waited 
at  the  station  from  which  the  Berlin  express  takes 
its  departure.  It  was  understood  that  we  were  both 
to  proceed  by  the  same  train  as  the  Comte  de  Saint 
Pol  and  his  companioa 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    69 

No  hitch  occurred ;  the  Prince,  accompanied  by 
his  secretary  and  my  agent,  duly  arrived  to  take  their 
seats  in  the  train,  and  the  four  of  us  ahghted  to- 
gether in  the  capital  of  Germany.  I  had  spent  the 
interval  in  considering  my  plan  of  action.  I  was  so 
far  from  foreseeing  the  true  cause  of  Prince  Napo- 
leon's mysterious  journey,  that  I  expected  to  find 
him  closeted  the  next  day  with  the  German  Emperor, 
imparting  the  confidence  which  Gamier  had  refused 
to  me.     The  event  proved  very  diiferent. 

As  soon  as  the  two  travellers  had  taken  up  their 
quarters  in  a  hotel,  whither,  it  is  needless  to  say,  we 
accompanied  them,  the  secretary  was  sent  out  on  an 
errand  by  himself.  Fouqu^,  of  course,  followed,  and 
came  back  in  about  an  hour  with  the  startling  infor- 
mation that  the  secretary  had  been  to  the  Russian 
Embassy. 

The  meaning  of  this  proceeding  flashed  upon  me 
at  once.  The  real  destination  of  the  Prince  was  not 
Berlin,  but  Petersburg.  He  was  merely  passing  a 
few  hours  in  Berlin  in  order  to  confuse  the  trail,  and 
he  had  sent  his  passport  to  the  Embassy  to  be  vised 
for  Russia. 

In  order  to  make  sure  that  my  surmise  was 
correct,  I  decided  to  make  use  of  my  implied 
authority  to  act  on  behalf  of  the  German  Govern- 
ment. I  ordered  Fouqu6  to  force  his  way  bodily 
into   the   Count's   apartment,  announce  himself  as 


70     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

an  agent  of  the  Berlin  police,  and  demand  to  see 
the  stranger's  passport.  The  ruse  was  completely 
successful,  and  I  learned  that  the  yellow  seal  of  the 
Russian  Eagle  had  been  affixed  to  the  paper. 

My  own  task  had  now  become  difficult  and 
dangerous.  Although  I  maintain  friendly  relations 
with  the  Russian  police,  with  whom  I  have  often 
collaborated,  I  knew  they  were  not  likely  to  tolerate 
my  intrusion  into  their  territory  as  the  spy  of  a 
foreign  Power.  In  dealing  with  half-reclaimed 
savages  like  the  Slaves,  one  never  knows  what 
form  their  revenge  will  take,  and  Siberia  is  not  a 
country  in  which  I  have  ever  had  any  inclination 
to  reside. 

The  plan  which  presented  itself  to  my  mind  was 
an  audacious  one,  but  in  such  situations  audacity  is 
safer  than  faint-heartedness.  I  despatched  Fouque 
to  the  headquarters  of  the  Berlin  police  with  a 
denunciation  against  Prince  Napoleon's  secretary  for 
the  crime  of  lese-majeste. 

Lese-majeste  is  the  one  offence  which  is  never 
treated  lightly  in  German  official  quarters.  Fouqu^'s 
information  was  eagerly  taken  down,  and  a  police 
officer  promptly  arrived  at  the  hotel  armed  with  a 
warrant  for  the  arrest  of  the  traveller. 

M.  Remillard,  the  secretary,  protested  in  vain  that 
he  was  a  stranger,  who  had  only  that  hour  arrived 
in  Berlin,  and  was  leaving  Germany  the  next  day ; 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIX  DREYFUS    71 

and  that  lie  had  never  been  guilty  of  the  least  dis- 
respect towards  Wilhelm  II. 

'  You  declared  that  the  Emperor  was  a  babbler,' 
he  was  informed. 

'  Ah,  but  I  meant  the  Emperor  of  Russia,'  retorted 
the  Frenchman  smartly. 

'  "What,  is  he  a  babbler,  too  ? '  exclaimed  the  police- 
man— an  answer  which,  I  believe,  has  since  become 
celebrated. 

But  his  ingenuity  could  not  save  the  unlucky 
secretary  from  arrest,  and  the  Comte  de  Saint  Pol 
found  himself  obliged  to  proceed  on  his  journey 
alone.  It  remained  for  me  to  complete  the  execu- 
tion of  my  design,  by  substituting  myself  in  the 
place  of  M.  Remillard. 

This  project,  which  would  have  been  beyond  the 
powers  of  an  ordinary  police  agent,  was  rendered 
possible  in  my  case  by  my  extensive  knowledge  of 
underground  politics,  and  the  reputation  which  I 
have  striven  to  deserve  of  a  man  whose  faith  can 
be  depended  on. 

I  dismissed  Fouqu^,  whose  further  presence  would 
have  embarrassed  me,  and  took  my  seat  in  the  coupe 
reserved  for  the  Comte  de  Saint  Pol  in  the  Petersburg 
express. 

In  answer  to  the  remonstrance  with  which  my 
intrusion  was  received,  I  explained  that  I  was  acting 
under  orders. 


72     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'Your  travelling  companion  has  been  arrested, 
Monsieur  le  Comte,  but  perhaps  I  may  be  allowed 
to  supply  his  place.' 

'  Am  I  under  arrest,  too  ? '  Prince  Victor  demanded 
with  some  indignation. 

'  Not  at  all,'  I  answered, '  but  your  movements  are 
of  some  interest  to  the  German  Government,  or 
rather  the  Emperor,  who  has  honoured  me  with  his 
personal  instructions.' 

'What  have  my  affairs  to  do  with  his  Imperial 
Majesty?'  inquired  the  Prince  anxiously. 

'  Perhaps  nothing,  perhaps  a  great  deal.  You  will, 
at  least  allow.  Monsieur  le  Comte,  that  your  passage 
through  Germany  appears  to  be  attended  with  some 
mystery.' 

'  In  short ? ' 

'  In  short,  the  Emperor  will  be  glad  to  be  honoured 
by  your  confidence,  Monseigneur.' 

The  Prince  started  at  this  title,  and  began  narrowly 
scrutinising  my  face,  while  he  evidently  considered 
in  his  own  mind  what  account  to  give  of  himself. 

'  It  may  assist  you,  perhaps,'  I  went  on  to  say, '  if 
I  tell  you  that  I  already  know  nearly  all  that  you 
can  tell  me.    I  am  M.  V * 

At  this  name  a  change  passed  over  Prince 
Napoleon's  face.  A  silent  struggle  seemed  to  be 
taking  place  in  his  breast.  Presently  he  raised  his 
eyes  to  mine. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    73 

'  Tell  me,  M.  V ,  are  you  capable  of  forgetting 

for  a  couple  of  hours  that  you  are  the  Emperor's 
confidential  agent,  and  favouring  me  with  your  dis- 
interested advice  ? ' 

'  I  believe  so,  always  provided  that  your  Highness 
does  not  ask  me  to  betray  the  confidences  I  have 
received  from  others.' 

The  Prince  accepted  this  stipulation  with  frankness. 

'  In  all  probability  you  are  in  a  position  to  tell  me 
more  about  the  reasons  for  this  journey  than  I  know 
myself  I  am  going,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  in  search  of 
information.' 

I  concealed  as  much  as  possible  the  shock  of 
surprise  which  this  confession  caused  me.  Up  to 
that  moment  I  had  naturally  imagined  that  the 
Prince  was  on  his  way  to  consult  the  Tsar,  and 
obtain  his  approval,  as  the  ally  of  France,  of  Avhat- 
evcr  designs  were  in  progress.  I  now  realised 
suddenly  that  I  had  overlooked  a  factor  in  the 
situation  whose  importance  might  be  greater  than 
Prince  Victor's  own. 

I  need  scarcely  say  that  I  refer  to  his  brother 
Louis. 

In  enumerating  the  pretenders  whose  ambition 
threatens  the  Republic,  I  had  naturally  omitted  this 
prince,  whose  claims  seemed  to  be  overshadowed 
by  those  of  his  elder  brother.  I  now  recalled  his 
popularity  as  a  young  man  of  the  most  charming 


74     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

manners,  and  the  prestige  which  he  derives  from 
his  rank  in  the  Russian  Army  and  the  personal 
friendship  of  the  Tsar. 

What  was  more  possible  than  that  Garnier  and 
his  comrades,  passing  over  the  unattractive  elder, 
should  have  chosen  as  the  figurehead  of  their 
usurpation  this  romantic  character,  who  would  be 
doubly  dependent  on  them,  because  he  would  be 
doubly  a  usurper  ? 

These  reflections  passed  through  my  mind  swiftly 
enough  for  me  to  answer  without  any  perceptible 
pause — 

'  You  are  paying  a  visit  to  your  brother  ? ' 

Prince  Victor  nodded,  as  though  that  were  a 
matter  of  course.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  he  felt  it 
a  relief  to  be  able  to  discuss  the  situation  fully  and 
frankly  with  a  man  of  experience  and  resource,  one 
who  moreover  had  no  reason  for  taking  his  brother's 
side. 

Briefly,  his  story  came  to  this : — 

'  Some  years  ago,  after  the  death  of  our  father,  my 
brother  had  a  long  consultation  with  me  about  the 
prospects  of  our  family.  He  asserted  that  he  was 
more  popular  in  France  than  I  was,  and  suggested 
that  the  chance  of  a  Bonaparte  restoration  would  be 
improved  if  I  would  consent  to  abdicate  in  his  favour. 
This  I  naturally  refused  to  do,  but  he  pressed  me, 
and  got  other  members  of  the  family  to  do  the  same, 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    75 

and  at  last  I  gave  way  so  far  as  to  say  that  if  there 
were  a  substantial  prospect  of  success,  and  it  really 
depended  on  my  resigning  my  rights  in  my  brother's 
favour,  I  would  do  it. 

'  When  I  said  that,  of  course,  I  thought  it  would  be 
a  question  of  a  popular  plebiscite,  like  our  uncle 
received,  and  that  I  should  be  bound  by  the  voice 
of  the  majority.  But  ever  since  then  I  have  seen 
feelers  put  out  from  time  to  time  in  the  Paris  papers, 
suggesting  that  I  did  not  wish  to  insist  on  my  rights 
as  the  heir  of  the  great  Napoleon.  And  now  within 
the  last  few  days  I  have  received  a  letter  from  my 
brother,  informing  me  that  a  restoration  is  at  last 
possible,  and  calling  on  me  to  fulfil  my  pledge,  and 
publicly  abdicate  m}'  claims.' 

I  listened  to  this  remarkable  disclosure  with  the 
keenest  interest.  It  confirmed  my  suspicions  on 
almost  every  point,  though  I  was  still  far  from  feel- 
ing that  I  had  obtained  a  complete  solution  to  the 
problem  set  me  by  Wilhelm  II. 

My  companion  let  it  be  seen  plainly  that  he  was 
not  very  well  pleased  with  the  prospect  of  being 
supplanted  by  his  younger  brother.  I  took  this 
feeling  into  account  in  the  advice  which  I  offered. 

*  The  only  thing  you  have  told  me  that  is  new  to 
me,  is  the  fact  that  Prince  Louis  is  the  person 
favoured  by  the  conspirators,'  I  said.  '  I  knew  there 
was  some  such  plot  on  foot,  but,  like  every  one  else, 


7G  8EC11ET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  took  it  for  grunted  that  you  were  the  only  possible 
candidate  for  the  empire.'  My  companion  breathed 
indignantl}^ 

'As  for  the  success  of  the  movement,  that  is 
highly  problematical.  You  will  not  feel  very  satis- 
fied if  you  execute  this  solemn  act,  only  to  see  your 
brother  rise  for  a  moment  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
mob,  and  then  vanish  like  Boulanger,  leaving  your 
House  more  feeble  than  at  present.' 

'Then  what  do  you  advise  me  to  say  to  my 
brother  ? '  he  asked  eagerly. 

'  I  think  your  course  is  perfectly  clear.  You  are 
entitled  to  demand  the  fullest  information,  in  the 
first  place.  If  that  satisfies  you  that  your  brother's 
success  is  assured,  that  no  action  on  your  part  can 
retard  it,  then  you  will  act  gracefully  by  conceding 
a  signature  which  will  not  deprive  you  of  anything, 
and  will  give  you  substantial  claims  on  his  gratitude. 
But  if  you  see  that  you  are  being  asked  to  efface 
yourself  without  sufficient  grounds,  you  have  only  to 
declare  that  you  are  not  convinced,  and  to  issue  a 
manifesto  to  your  supporters  in  France,  remind- 
ing them  that  you  are  still  the  head  of  the  House  of 
Bonaparte.' 

My  companion  received  this  suggestion  with  every 
sign  of  satisfaction.  During  the  remainder  of  the 
journey  I  lost  no  opportunity  of  playing  on  the 
same  string,  and  making  him  feel  that  I  was,  as 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    77 

it  were,  his  ally,  engaging  in  defeating  a  plot  which 
was  much  more  against  him  than  against  the  Re- 
public. 

When  we  reached  the  Russian  frontier,  I  had  no 
difficulty  in  inducing  the  Prince  to  pass  me  through 
the  barrier  as  the  secretary  of  the  Comte  de  Saint 
Pol,  and  I  thus  entered  Russia  in  perfect  security, 
in  a  character  which  would  have  amazed  the  Third 
Section. 

On  our  arrival  in  Petersburg  I  asked  Prince 
Napoleon  if  he  intended  to  go  to  his  brother's 
address.     He  answered  proudly — 

'  I  am  still  the  head  of  my  House,  I  believe.  It 
would  be  more  suitable  for  me  to  let  my  brother 
know  of  my  arrival  in  order  that  he  may  wait 
upon  me.' 

I  willingly  charged  myself  with  the  delivery  of  the 
summons. 

The  announcement  that  I  came  from  Brussels 
secured  my  instant  admission  to  Prince  Louis's 
presence. 

'  I  have  the  honour  to  act  as  secretary  to  his 
Imperial  Highness,  Prince  Victor  Napoleon,'  I 
explained. 

'  Ah  !  In  that  case  you  bring  me  a  letter  from 
him,  no  doubt  ? ' 

'I  bring  your  Highness  a  message  simply.  The 
Prince  desires  to  see  you.' 


78     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

*  But  I  cannot  leave  Petersburg — surely  my  brother 
knows  that ! ' 

'  He  knows  it  so  well  that  he  is  in  Petersburg.' 

Prince  Louis  sprang  to  his  feet,  thunderstruck. 

'Victor  is  here! — already!'  he  exclaimed  in  con- 
fusion. 

For  answer  I  named  the  hotel  at  which  we  had 
put  up,  explaining  at  the  same  time  that  the  Prince 
wished  to  preserve  his  incognito  strictly. 

Prince  Louis  prepared  to  accompany  me  to  the 
hotel  in  the  carriage  which  had  brought  me  to  his 
house.     As  we  drove  along,  he  inquired — 

'  Are  you  in  my  brother's  confidence  ? ' 

'  I  believe  I  enjoy  that  honour/  was  my  reply.  '  At 
least  I  am  acquainted  with  the  business  which  has 
brought  him  here.' 

•  Perhaps  you  can  tell  me  something  of  my  brother's 
views  ? '  he  said,  feeling  his  way. 

'I  think  his  Highness  expects  to  receive  full 
information  before  he  takes  a  step  which  will  be 
irrevocable.' 

'Ah!' 

'He  thinks,  perhaps,  that  you  may  have  been 
deceived  by  exaggerated  promises,  and  that  he 
has  the  right  to  forbid  any  premature  attempt 
whose  failure  would  damage  the  Bonapartist  cause.' 

Prince  Louis  gnawed  his  moustache  with  some 
impatience. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    79 

'  My  brother  must  not  be  unreasonable/  he  mur- 
mured. '  One  is  never  certain  of  success  in  these 
attempts.' 

'If  you  will  allow  me  to  advise  you,  you  will 
give  him  the  fullest  opportunity  of  judging  of  your 
prospects.  It  would  be  a  serious  thing  for  every- 
body if  he  were  provoked  into  any  public  demon- 
stration against  you.' 

The  younger  Prince  changed  colour. 

*  Is  it  so  serious  as  that  ? '  he  exclaimed.  And 
durinsr  the  remainder  of  the  drive  he  continued 
wrapped  in  thought,  only  the  working  of  his  brow 
betraying  the  anxiety  within. 

The  greeting  between  the  brothers  was  cordial, 
if  not  affectionate.  I  took  it  for  granted  that  I  was 
to  be  a  party  to  the  conference,  and  as  each  brother 
believed  that  I  was  secretly  friendly  to  him,  neither 
suggested  that  I  should  retire. 

As  soon  as  we  were  seated  round  the  table,  on 
which  I  had  laid  out  some  paper,  pens,  and  ink, 
Prince  Victor  formally  opened  the  discussion. 

He  spoke  with  a  good  deal  of  dignity  and  some 
eloquence.  He  treated  it  as  a  matter  beyond  dis- 
pute that  he  was  the  sole  depository  of  the  authority 
of  the  great  Napoleon,  entitled  to  the  absolute 
obedience  of  every  member  of  his  House.  He  dis- 
claimed any  personal  ambition,  and  referred  to  his 
former  pledge,  which  he  described  as  a  promise  to 


80.     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

abdicate  if  lie  were  convinced  that  such  a  step  on 
his  part  was  really  likely  to  result  in  the  restoration 
of  the  empire. 

He  then  laid  it  down  that  he  retained  the  sole 
right  to  decide  if  and  when  the  time  for  this  step 
had  arrived,  and  hinted  that  it  was  his  duty,  as  well 
as  his  right,  to  interfere  actively  to  check  any  designs 
of  which  he  disapproved.  He  concluded  by  profess- 
ing a  sincere  and  hearty  interest  in  his  brother's 
fortunes,  and  inviting  Prince  Louis  to  confide  in  him 
fully,  as  in  his  best  friend. 

This  statesmanlike  deliverance  appeared  to  in- 
spire the  younger  Prince  with  genuine  respect.  He 
appeared  to  be  a  good  deal  embarrassed  in  the 
beginning  of  his  reply.  It  was  a  difficult  task  to 
tell  his  elder  brother  that  he  had  been  rejected  in 
favour  of  Louis  himself. 

After  acknowledging  in  the  most  ample  manner 
his  brother's  claims  on  his  obedience  and  gratitude, 
Prince  Louis  proceeded — 

'  The  state  of  France  shows  clearly  that  our  House 
has  no  chance  of  success  by  constitutional  means. 
The  Republic  can  only  be  subverted  by  the  action 
of  the  Army,  which  embodies  the  spirit  of  the  nation 
more  truly  than  the  collection  of  provincial  advocates 
and  financiers  which  calls  itself  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies.  The  Army  will  be  guided  by  its  chiefs, 
and,  therefore,  it  is  the  Staff  which  holds  our  fate 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    81 

in  its  hands.  The  generals  very  naturally  feel  a 
preference  for  a  soldier.  It  is  now  nearly  six  months 
since  I  was  first  approached  in  the  greatest  secrecy 
by  General  Gamier.' 

I  had  the  utmost  difficulty  in  not  betraying  my 
emotion  at  the  sound  of  this  name,  so  inseparably 
connected  with  the  Dreyfus  Case. 

'  Garnier  conveyed  to  me  that  he  and  his  brother 
generals  had  decided  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  a 
revolution,  in  which  they  anticipated  receiving  the 
support  of  the  Church  and  the  noblesse.  He  said 
they  were  determined  to  avoid  a  second  catastrophe 
like  that  of  the  mountebank  Boulanger,  and  there- 
fore they  meant  to  abolish  the  Republic  by  a 
military  pronunciamento,  and  declare  France  a 
monarchy  under  their  protection.  And,  in  short, 
he  offered  me  the  crown  in  the  name  of  the  French 
Army.' 

'You  reminded  him  of  my  existence,  perhaps?* 
put  in  the  elder  brother  with  some  bitterness, 

'  I  refused  to  entertain  the  ofter  until  it  had  been 
made  to,  and  refused  by,  you,'  Louis  protested 
earnestly.  'Gamier  replied  that  in  no  event  would 
his  brother  generals  agree  to  your  nomination,  and 
that,  if  I  declined,  the  offer  would  be  made  to  the 
Duke  of  Orleans,  who  commanded  the  support  of 
the  clerical  faction.  It  was  a  question  of  Bonaparte 
or  Bourbon,  and  I  relied  on  our  compact  that  in 

F 


82  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

such  a  case  you  would  relinquish  your  rights  in  my 
favour.' 

Prince  Victor  turned  to  me  as  though  he  wished 
me  to  express  his  sentiments.     I  accepted  the  task. 

'It  would  have  been  better  if  you  had  taken  Prince 
Napoleon  into  your  confidence  before  giving  any 
definite  answer,'  I  said.  'General  Gamier  might 
have  paid  your  elder  brother  the  compliment  of 
explaining  the  reasons  for  setting  him  aside.' 

'I  did  not  consider  the  project  sufficiently  mature 
at  that  time,'  was  the  answer.  '  I  thought  it  better 
to  wait  till  the  affair  assumed  a  tangible  shape.' 

'  And  this  stage  has  now  been  reached  ? '  I 
inquired. 

'  It  has.  My  brother  will  understand  that  a  pre- 
text was  necessary  for  the  action  of  the  Army,  and 
that  pretext  could  only  be  the  danger  of  war.  For  a 
long  time  we  were  troubled  with  the  difficulty  that 
neither  in  Germany  nor  in  England  was  there  any 
disposition  to  attack  France,  and  our  treaty  with 
Russia  laid  it  down  in  the  most  explicit  manner  that 
the  Tsar  would  only  come  to  our  assistance  in  the 
event  of  our  being  attacked. 

'  But  at  last,  thanks  to  the  vigilance  of  Garnier  and 
the  other  chiefs  of  the  Staff,  it  has  been  discovered 
that  Germany  is  secretly  preparing  for  a  stealthy 
spring;  she  is  covering  France  with  her  spies,  and, 
but  for  the  timely  arrest  of  this  Dreyfus ' 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    83 

I  could  not  resist  a  subdued  exclamation  of 
triumpli  as  the  utterance  of  this  name  completed 
the  chain  of  discover}^  The  whole  intrigue  en- 
gineered by  the  artful  and  unscrupulous  French 
generals  lay  displayed  to  my  eye,  as  on  a  map.  I 
listened  like  one  in  a  dream  as  Prince  Louis  con- 
tinued explaining  to  his  brother  the  peril  of  the 
French  nation,  the  justification  for  the  Army's  taking 
command  of  the  State,  and  the  consequent  certainty 
of  a  Bonaparte  restoration. 

Victor  listened  silently,  unable  to  think  of  any 
objection,  and  seeing  his  own  chance  of  ever  reigning 
as  Emperor  of  the  French  slipping  from  him.  It 
was  I  who  put  the  decisive  question. 

'  You  have,  I  suppose,  taken  the  Tsar  into  your 
confidence,  and  convinced  him  of  the  reality  of  the 
danger  ? ' 

'We  have  obtained  the  promise  of  his  support,' 
Louis  answered. 

'Good.  In  that  case  you  will  not  refuse  your 
brother  the  reasonable  proofs  which  it  is  his  right 
to  demand,  that  you  have  not  been  deceived.' 

'  What  proofs  do  you  expect  ? ' 

'  I  respectfully  advise  Prince  Napoleon  to  request 
an  interview  with  the  Tsar.' 

This  advice  was  received  with  very  different  feel- 
ings by  the  two  brothers.  Prince  Louis  cast  on  me 
a  look  of  surprise  and  annoyance ;  his  elder  brother's 


84     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

eyes  glistened  with  pleasure  at  a  suggestion  whose 
value  was  at  once  apparent  to  him. 

'You  cannot  object  to  my  following  my  secretary's 
advice/  said  Prince  Victor,  after  a  moment's  pause. 
'  The  interests  of  my  House  are  at  stake ;  and  before 
I  resign  the  prospect  of  a  throne  I  have  a  right  to  be 
thoroughly  satisfied.  The  Tsar  is  your  friend,  and, 
therefore,  you  should  be  pleased  to  accept  his 
mediation.' 

Prince  Louis  yielded,  not  very  graciously,  to  these 
representations,  and  undertook  to  arrange  the  con- 
ference. He  then  withdrew,  leaving  us  to  discuss 
the  situation. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  relate  what  passed 
between  Prince  Napoleon  and  myself.  I  succeeded 
in  fixing  him  in  the  opinion  that  he  had  been 
treated  ungenerously,  and  that  he  owed  it  to 
himself  to  thwart  a  dishonest  and  doubtful  con- 
spiracy, calculated  to  bring  the  name  of  Bonaparte 
into  odium. 

The  following  day,  about  the  same  hour,  we  were 
received  by  the  titular  autocrat  of  All  the  Russias. 

The  only  persons  present,  besides  the  two  brothers, 
were  myself  and  the  celebrated  Pobiedonostzefif,  who 
up  till  quite  recently  has  exercised  a  mastery  over 
the  mind  of  his  nominal  sovereign  that  has  been  com- 
pared to  that  of  Richelieu  over  the  feeble  Louis  XIII. 

It  was    at   once    evident    that    the    decision    of 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    85 

Nicholas  II.  would  be  largely  determined  by  the 
advice  which  he  received  from  his  spiritual  and 
political  mentor.  In  effect,  the  conference  resolved 
itself  into  a  duel  between  the  formidable  Russian 
statesman  and  myself;  he,  animated  by  a  hatred 
of  freedom,  which  led  him  to  sympathise  with  the 
design  against  the  Republic;  I,  influenced  by  a 
sense  of  justice,  and  a  desire  to  do  my  duty  by 
the  German  Emperor. 

Having  briefly  acknowledged  the  favour  of  the 
Tsar  in  receiving  him,  Prince  Napoleon  left  the 
statement  of  his  case  in  my  hands. 

I  began  by  briefly  referring  to  the  understanding 
between  the  two  brothers,  and  the  present  situation 
of  afiairs. 

'What  Prince  Napoleon  desires,'  I  went  on, 
addressing  myself  to  PobiedonostzefF,  'is  to  under- 
stand whether  he  is  being  asked  to  abdicate  on 
sufficient  grounds.  Is  he  dealing  with  a  mere 
hole-and-corner  conspiracy,  which  may  end  in  a 
fiasco;  or  is  it  true  that  his  Imperial  Majesty  the 
Emperor  of  Russia  is  committed  to  the  approval 
and  support  of  his  brother's  enterprise  ? ' 

The  Tsar  glanced  from  my  face  to  that  of  his 
Minister,  as  I  concluded,  with  an  expression  which 
convinced  me  that  his  Majesty  knew  very  little 
about  the  affair,  in  which  he  had  no  doubt  bliudly 
accepted  the  guidance  of  Pobiedonostzeff 


86  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

The  Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod  had  evidently 
come  prepared  with  an  ambiguous  reply. 

'His  Majesty  is  a  friend  of  France,  and,  as  such, 
he  naturally  views  with  concern  the  weakness  of 
the  Republic,  a  weakness  inseparable  from  Govern- 
ments which  rest  on  the  authority  of  the  mob. 
The  Emperor  is  at  the  same  time  a  friend  of  the 
House  of  Bonaparte,  though,  of  course,  he  has  no 
wish  to  interfere  in  favour  of  any  particular  candi- 
date for  the  French  throne  rather  than  another. 

'  He  is  pledged  by  treaty  to  come  to  the  assistance 
of  France  in  the  case  of  an  unprovoked  attack  by 
the  Three  Powers,  or  by  the  English,  It  follows 
that  where  the  danger  of  such  an  attack  exists, 
his  Majesty  is  ready  to  encourage  any  prudent 
measure  in  the  interests  of  France,  such  as  this 
appears  to  be.' 

Prince  Louis  smiled,  well  pleased  at  this  skilful 
answer.     His  brother  gave  me  an  expectant  glance. 

'Am  I  to  understand,  then — or,  rather,  is  Prince 
Napoleon  to  understand — that  it  is  the  threatening 
attitude  of  Germany  which  has  weighed  with  his 
Imperial  Majesty  ? ' 

'You  may  say  the  treacherous  intrigues  of  Germany. 
The  Germans  have  been  careful  to  avoid  any  open 
provocation.' 

'  His  Majesty  has  received  satisfactory  proofs,  no 
doubt,  that  such  intrigues  exist  ? ' 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    87 

'Undoubtedly.  General  Garnier,  on  behalf  of 
tbe  Staff  of  the  French  Army,  has  laid  before  the 
Emperor's  advisers  documents  which  prove  up  to 
the  hilt  that  Germany  is  merely  waiting  for  the 
psychological  moment  to  spring  upon  France,  dis- 
arm her,  and  erase  her  from  the  list  of  the  Great 
Powers.' 

'  Would  it  not  have  been  more  in  accordance  with 
precedent  if  these  documents  had  been  submitted 
to  you  by  the  President  of  the  French  Republic 
through  the  medium  of  the  French  Ambassador  ? ' 

I  was  glad  to  notice  the  Tsar  turn  a  questioning 
look  on  his  Minister  as  I  delivered  this  thrust,  for 
which  Pobiedonostzeff  was  evidently  not  prepared. 

'I  do  not  understand  your  objection,'  he  said,  in 
some  surprise.  'Prince  Napoleon  is  surely  not  in- 
terested on  behalf  of  the  Republican  Government.' 

'The  interest  of  Prince  Napoleon  is  to  know  the 
truth,'  I  responded  sternly.  'Conspirators  are  not 
always  scrupulous  about  the  means  they  employ. 
General  Garnier  is  not  a  man  who  can  be  pronounced 
incapable  of  manufacturing  evidence  in  favour  of  his 
schemes.' 

The  Procurator's  face  flushed. 

'You  venture  to  insinuate  that  General  Garnier 
is  a  forger ! '  he  cried  wrathfully. 

'Listen,  M.  Pobiedonostzeff.  In  the  time  of  the 
late  Tsar  I  was  employed  by  the  Russian  Govern- 


88  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

ment,  before  it  concluded  the  treaty  of  alliance  with 
France,  to  obtain  secret  and  precise  information 
concerning  the  military  strength  of  that  country. 
I  have  never  revealed  the  name  of  the  officer  from 
whom  I  purchased  that  information.  Shall  I  do 
so  now  ? ' 

The  Russian  Minister  gazed  at  me  in  consternation, 
and  his  master  appeared  equally  surprised.  Glancing 
at  a  slip  of  paper  which  lay  before  him,  Pobiedo- 
nostzeif  asked — 

'  Who  are  you,  then  ?  Your  name  cannot  be 
Remillard.' 

'  It  is  Y ,'  I  answered. 

The  Procurator  threw  himself  back  in  his  seat, 
astonished. 

'Your  police  have  not  shown  their  usual  astute- 
ness, I  am  afraid,'  I  observed,  smiling. 

The  Tsar  now  interposed  in  a  tone  of  more 
authority  than  I  had  ventured  to  hope  from  his 
not  very  strong  face. 

*  Do  you  suggest,  M.  V ,  that  the  whole  Staff 

of  the  French  Army  are  engaged  in  a  conspiracy 
to  forge  documents  ? ' 

'  Something  of  the  kind,  I  am  afraid,  sire.' 

*  But  this  notorious  case,  which  has  excited  the 
attention  of  the  whole  of  Europe  —  the  Affaire 
Dreyfus  ? ' 

*I  am  in  a  position  to  assure  your  Majesty  that 


m 


•«i  o 

2  >-. 

C  g 

^3  "5- 

s  5 


cj      I) 

■5     a 


■-   > 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CAPTAIN  DREYFUS    S9 

Captain  Dreyfus  had  no  more  to  do  with  Germany 
than  M.  Pobiedonostzeff  here.' 

The  Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod  raised  his  head. 

*  You  are  very  confident,  it  seems  to  me,  M.  Y ,' 

he  sneered.  '  May  I  ask  if  you  have  been  retained 
by  the  party  which  is  seeking  to  reopen  the  case 
of  Dreyfus  ? ' 

'No,  M.  le  Procureur,  my  knowledge  has  been 
acquired  from  an  opposite  quarter.' 

'From  General  Gamier  himself,  perhaps  ?' 

'  No,  not  this  time,'  I  retorted,  with  biting  sig- 
nificance. 'My  information  was  derived  from  his 
Imperial  Majesty,  Wilhelm  II,' 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  changes  which  passed 
rapidly  across  the  faces  of  three  of  my  listeners  as 
I  made  this  statement.  Prince  Victor  Napoleon 
alone  received  unmoved  an  announcement  for  which 
he  was  already  prepared. 

'It  is  not  a  month,'  I  added  calmly,  'since  the 
German  Emperor  charged  me  with  a  commission  to 
find  out  two  things:  the  reason  for  the  theatrical 
publicity  given  to  the  trial  of  an  obscure  captain  in 
the  French  Army,  and  the  object  of  the  persistent 
attempt  to  represent  him  as  a  spy  of  Germany.'  I 
paused  for  a  moment  and  turned  to  Nicholas  11. 
before  concluding.  '  That  commission  I  have  now 
accomplished.  I  am  now  in  a  position  to  inform 
the  German  Emperor  that  the  purpose  of  this  shame- 


90  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

ful  comedy  is  to  impose  on  the  French  people  the 
belief  that  they  are  in  danger  of  an  invasion,  from 
which  they  can  only  be  delivered  by  a  Bonaparte 
restoration  under  the  patronage  of  your  Majesty.' 

The  face  of  the  young  Tsar  went  red  and  white 
by  turn. 

'I  swear  by  Saint  Nicholas  that  they  shall  eat 
their  forgeries ! '  he  said. 

And  I  have  reason  to  know  that  it  was  the  pressing 
and  peremptory  request  of  the  Russian  Emperor  that 
at  last  secured  the  second  trial,  and  the  final  pardon 
and  release  of  the  unhappy  sufferer. 


IV 

WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  TSAR'S  PEACE 
RESCRIPT 

Perhaps  the  most  sensational  event  in  recent  history 
was  the  publication  by  the  young  and  newly  crowned 
Tsar  of  All  the  Russias  of  a  rescript  calling  upon  the 
great  military  Powers  of  the  world  to  disband  their 
armies  and  dismantle  their  fleets,  and  inaugurate  an 
era  of  universal  peace. 

This  extraordinary  invitation  produced  a  flutter  in 
all  the  diplomatic  dovecotes,  for  European  statesmen 
have  learned  by  this  time  that  Russia  does  nothing 
in  vain.  Everywhere  the  same  question  was  asked : 
'  What  is  behind  this  rescript  ? ' 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  sentimental  fanatics  in  England 
and  the  United  States,  no  one  was  inclined  to  put 
faith  in  a  demonstration  which  was  actually  the  pre- 
lude to  a  raid  on  the  ancient  liberties  of  Finland, 
in  order  to  swell  the  armies  of  the  Imperial  peace- 
maker, and  to  a  combined  attack  by  all  the  great 
Christian  Powers  upon  the  only  unarmed  Empire  in 
the  world. 


92     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Nobody  was  deceived,  but  every  one  was  discon- 
certed for  the  moment,  and  I  was  disconcerted  like 
the  rest.  I  was  more.  I  was  irresistibly  drawn  on 
to  attempt  the  solution  of  a  mystery  which  fascinated 
me  like  a  difficult  chess  problem  set  before  an  expert 
in  the  game. 

I  could  not  afford,  of  course,  to  set  about  such  an 
investigation  merely  for  my  own  amusement.  After 
waiting  a  decent  time  on  the  chance  that  I  might 
be  sent  for  by  one  of  the  Governments  most 
interested  in  unravelling  the  schemes  of  the  great 
Eurasian  Power,  I  took  the  unusual  step  of  going  un- 
asked to  proffer  my  assistance  to  the  Ambassador  of 
a  Power  to  which  I  have  rendered  important  services. 

To  my  surprise  and  chagrin  I  found  myself  re- 
pelled on  the  threshold,  the  Ambassador  in  question, 
a  diplomatist  of  great  experience,  declaring  that 
there  was  tiothing  to  discover. 

'  I  share  your  disbelief  in  the  peaceful  intentions 
of  the  Russian  Council  of  State,'  his  Excellency  was 
good  enough  to  say  to  me.  'But  this  is  a  matter 
with  which  they  have  really  had  nothing  to  do. 
This  rescript  is  the  outcome  of  the  Tsar's  own  in- 
dividuality. He  is  a  philanthropic  young  man, 
carried  away  by  the  enthusiasm  natural  to  his  age, 
and  his  advisers  have  had  to  give  way  to  him.  That 
is  all ;  and  it  only  remains  to  see  whether  his  idea  is 
practicable.' 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    93 

The  explanation  was  a  plausible  one,  and  all  the 
more  so  because  by  this  time  the  character  of  the 
new  ruler  of  Russia  was  fairly  well  known  to  those 
whose  business  it  is  to  reckon  up  the  personalities  of 
sovereigns  and  statesmen.    Still  I  was  not  convinced. 

'That  is  exactly  the  explanation  which  I  should 
ofifer  to  the  Foreign  Offices  of  Europe,  if  I  were 
M.  Witte,'  I  ventured  to  observe. 

The  Ambassador  smiled  with  good  humour 

'The  explanation  does  not  rest  on  the  word  of 
M.  Witte,  I  assure  you,'  he  answered.  'Every  one 
who  knows  anything  about  Nicholas  II.  knows  that 
he  is  a  simple-minded,  honest  young  man,  quite 
incapable  of  playing  a  part  in  a  comedy.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  there  is  nothing  in  this  rescript 
which  he  has  not  been  saying  in  private  conversa- 
tion with  his  family  and  friends  any  time  this  last 
two  or  three  years.  The  German  Emperor  heard 
all  about  it  long  ago.  Now  at  last  he  has  put  his 
views  formally  before  the  world  in  a  state  paper. 
These  proposals  may  not  be  practicable,  but  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  they  are  perfectly  sincere.' 

'  I  do  not  doubt  the  Tsar's  sincerity,'  I  returned. 
'But  knowing  what  I  know  of  Russia,  I  want  to 
understand  why  the  Council  of  State  have  allowed 
the  Tsar  to  have  his  own  way.' 

This  time  the  Ambassador's  smile  was  less  in- 
dulgent. 


94  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Really,  M.  V ,  I  think  you  are  pushing  your 

suspicions  too  far.  Your  profession  has  biassed 
your  mind,  and  caused  you  to  see  mystery  where  it 
does  not  exist.  You  remind  me  of  those  politicians 
whom  Bismarck  used  to  say  that  he  could  always 
deceive  by  being  perfectly  frank.' 

I  smiled  in  my  turn,  a  little  grimly,  as  I  re- 
sponded— 

'  It  appears  to  me,  your  Excellency,  that  the  coun- 
sellors of  the  Tsar  have  just  taken  a  leaf  out  of 
Bismarck's  book.' 

Baffled  in  this  direction,  I  was  casting  about  me 
for  another  client,  when  my  secretary  came  in  to 
me  one  morning  with  a  despatch  marked  urgent, 
calling  me  to  proceed  immediately  to  Constantinople, 
where  my  services  were  required  by  Muzaffir  Effendi, 
the  eunuch  highest  in  the  confidence  of  Abdul 
Hamid. 

I  snatched  at  the  opening  with  the  assurance  of 
triumph.  Of  all  states  Turkey  was  the  one  most 
deeply  concerned  in  the  foreign  policy  of  Russia. 
Of  all  possible  clients  the  most  desirable  was  the 
ruler  whose  secret  hoards  had  dazzled  the  imagina- 
tion of  every  secret  service  agent  in  the  world  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 

What  the  business  might  be  on  which  Muzaffir 
wanted  me  I  neither  knew  nor  greatly  cared.  I 
took   my   seat   in   the   train   that  was  to  bear  me 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    95 

towards  the  Balkan  Peninsula,  firmly  resolved  that 
his  business  should  give  way  to  mine. 

On  my  way  across  Central  Europe  I  found  the 
papers  already  full  of  the  touching  story  of  the 
benevolent  young  despot  and  his  triumph  over  the 
worldly  wisdom  of  his  counsellors.  I  could  not 
blame  the  journalists  for  being  taken  in  by  a  story 
which  had  imposed  on  one  of  the  most  hard-headed 
diplomatists  in  Paris;  I  could  only  marvel  at  the 
astuteness  and  daring  of  the  Muscovite  statesmen 
who  had  contrived  to  turn  the  personal  idiosyncrasies 
of  their  sovereign  to  use  in  their  Machiavellian 
politics. 

On  reaching  the  shores  of  the  Bosphorus  I  found, 
as  I  had  anticipated,  that  I  was  wanted  to  disen- 
tangle a  miserable  intrigue  of  the  harem,  the  kind 
of  work  more  suited  to  a  private  detective  than  to 
a  man  in  my  unique  position.  Under  any  other 
circumstances  I  should  have  declined  the  task  with- 
out more  ado ;  as  it  was,  I  turned  Muzaffir's  difficulty 
into  my  opportunity. 

'  Listen  to  me,'  I  said  to  the  trembling  eunuch,  as 
soon  as  he  had  finished  confiding  his  tale  to  me,  '  I 
can  save  you,  and  I  will  save  you,  but  only  on  one 
condition.  And  that  is,  that  you  procure  me  a  private 
and  confidential  audience  of  the  Sultan,  and  that 
you  use  your  influence  with  him  to  make  him  grant 
the  request  I  have  to  make.' 


96     SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Muzaffir,  who,  like  all  his  tribe,  was  a  miser, 
seemed  overjoyed  at  this  cheap  method  of  rewarding 
me.  Of  course,  he  wished  to  know  the  object  I  had 
in  view. 

'  I  am  going  to  ask  the  Sultan  to  employ  me  on  a 
secret  political  mission  outside  the  Turkish  Empire, 
a  mission  from  which  you  have  nothing  to  fear. 
Your  business  is  to  persuade  the  Sultan  to  trust  me 
— let  that  be  enough.' 

Twist  and  wriggle  as  he  would,  the  eunuch  found 
he  could  get  nothing  more  out  of  me.  He  gave  in, 
and  his  influence  over  the  mind  of  Abdul  Hamid 
being  unbounded,  I  quickly  found  myself  face  to 
face  with  the  lean,  dark,  gaunt-oyed  Asiatic  who 
styles  himself  Commander  of  the  Faithful  and 
Shadow  of  God  on  earth. 

Abdul  Hamid  proved  to  be  in  a  more  suspicious 
mood  than  my  friend  in  Paris.  As  soon  as  I  men- 
tioned the  Peace  Rescript  he  interrupted  me. 

'I  am  not  going  to  disarm.  I  know  what  the 
Christian  Powers  are  by  this  time.  They  always 
begin  to  talk  about  peace  when  they  are  secretly 
preparing  to  attack  somebody.' 

'I  am  afraid  your  Majesty  is  right.  The  question 
is,  what  is  the  real  design  underlying  this  particular 
piece  of  hypocrisy  ? ' 

'  I  know  that,  too,'  was  the  unexpected  reply.  '  The 
Russians   have   decided   to   turn  their  attention  to 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT     97 

China.  There  they  can  do  all  that  they  want  with  a 
hundred  thousand  men.  So  it  is  to  their  interest  to 
get  rid  of  the  burden  of  a  great  army  which  will  not 
be  wanted  for  a  generation.' 

This  was  an  ingenious  idea,  but  it  did  not  satisfy 
me,  any  more  than  the  semi-official  one  had  done.  I 
ventured  to  object — 

'  If  that  were  all,  sire,  there  would  be  no  occasion 
for  this  melodramatic  appeal  to  the  other  Powers, 
There  is  nothing  to  hinder  Russia  from  reducing  her 
armaments  by  one-half  to-morrow.  No  one  dreams 
of  attacking  her.  Her  army  is  kept  up  for  offence, 
not  for  defence.  She  is  the  one  Power  that  could 
aiford  to  set  the  example  of  disbanding,  and  such  an 
example  would  carry  more  weight  than  any  number 
of  professions  on  paper,  however  well  meant.' 

The  Sultan  appeared  struck  by  this  reasoning. 

'  Then  what  do  you  say  is  the  object  behind  this 
rescript  ? '  he  demanded. 

'I  do  not  know.  But  I  undertake  to  find  out 
if  your  Majesty  wiU  furnish  me  with  the  necessary 
means.' 

Abdul  Hamid  gave  me  a  distrustful  glance. 

'  It  is  an  expensive  thing  to  buy  information  from 
the  Council  of  State,'  he  grumbled. 

'You  are  right,  sire.  And  the  higher  one  goes, 
the  more  expensive  it  becomes.  It  is  clear  that  this 
move  has  been  engineered  by  persons  who  are  able  to 

a 


98  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

manage  the  Tsar  himself,  and  such  persons  are  not 
likely  to  sell  their  own  game  for  much  less  than  a 
million  roubles.' 

Abdul  Hamid  quivered  at  the  mention  of  this  sum 
as  though  I  had  demanded  one  of  the  eyes  out  of  his 
head. 

'  Why  should  I  go  to  this  expense  ? '  he  objected. 
*I  have  already  told  you  that  I  am  not  going  to 
disarm.' 

'The  question  is  whether  you  are  willing  to  see 
Germany  and  Austria  disarm,  leaving  you  to  face 
Russia  single-handed.  Surely  it  is  worth  a  hundred 
thousand  pounds  to  Turkey  to  prevent  her  allies 
from  falling  into  such  a  trap.' 

The  Sultan  still  hesitated. 

'How  do  I  know  that  I  shall  get  anything  in 
return,  if  I  trust  you  with  this  money?'  he  asked 
suspiciously. 

'Your  Majesty  must  judge  me  by  what  I  have 
done  already.  Two  days  ago  you  had  never  heard 
my  name.  Now  I  am  here  alone  with  you,  with  a 
loaded  revolver  in  my  pocket' — the  Sultan  started 
violently — '  discussing  the  secrets  of  your  foreign 
policy.     Does  that  look  as  though  I  were  a  fool  ? ' 

The  Commander  of  the  Faithful  sat  silent,  atten- 
tively regarding  me  for  some  minutes.  Finally  he 
dismissed  me,  promising  to  consider  my  proposal. 

I  withdrew,  confident  that  Abdul  would  consult 


-    > 

>■  9 


5  Z    t« 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    99 

his  all-powerful  favourite,  and  that  Muzaffir  would 
see  that  I  got  my  way. 

A  week  later  I  was  back  in  Paris,  with  an  auto- 
graph letter  from  the  Sultan  to  his  Ambassador  in 
Russia,  and  a  draft  on  the  Ottoman  Bank  which  I 
took  the  precaution  to  exchange  for  a  letter  of  credit 
from  a  private  Parisian  banking  firm  to  the  Ephrussis 
of  Petersburg. 

My  intention  was  to  go  to  Russia  in  the  character 
of  a  French  financial  agent,  the  representative  of  a 
sj-ndicate  of  Paris  bankers,  on  the  look-out  for  profit- 
able concessions  from  the  Government  of  the  Tsar. 
In  this  way  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  approach  influential 
persons  without  exciting  suspicion,  and  to  ascertain 
their  corruptibility  before  exposing  my  secret  object. 

In  order  to  play  this  part  it  was  not  necessary  for 
me  to  indulge  in  any  actual  deceit.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  the  demand  for  foreign  capital  to  develop  Rus- 
sian properties  is  a  steadily  increasing  one,  and  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  meeting  with  financiers  willing  to  con- 
stitute me  their  agent,  to  inquire  into  the  character 
of  some  of  the  undertakings  submitted  to  them. 

The  only  person  I  proposed  to  take  into  my  con- 
fidence was  the  Turkish  Ambassador  in  Petersburg, 
on  whom  I  relied  for  information  as  to  the  personal 
influences  at  work  in  the  Russian  Court. 

It  was  to  the  Ambassador,  therefore,  that  I  paid 
my  first  visit  on  arriving  in  the  northern  capital. 


100         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

His  Excellency  received  me  at  first  witli  some  reserve, 
which  was  quickly  dissipated  by  a  perusal  of  the 
Sultan's  missive. 

'You  have  come  to  learn  the  truth  about  this 
rescript/  he  remarked.  'It  is  certainly  a  new  de- 
parture. You  disbelieve  in  the  sincerity  of  the  Tsar, 
I  suppose  ? ' 

'  Not  in  the  sincerity  of  the  Tsar,  but  in  the  sin- 
cerity of  those  who  make  his  benevolent  sentiments 
the  cloak  of  their  own  secret  policy,'  I  corrected. 

The  Ambassador  nodded  approvingly. 

*  You  have  put  your  finger  on  the  weak  spot,'  he 
responded.  '  The  danger  in  dealing  with  this  rescript 
is  that  the  other  Powers  may  take  it  seriously  owing 
to  their  trust  in  the  personal  character  of  Nicholas. 
In  reality  Nicholas  is  merely  an  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  three  persons,  without  whose  advice  he  does 
nothing,  and  two  of  those  three  are  themselves 
creatures  of  the  Council  of  State.' 

'  And  the  three  persons  are  ? ' 

'  They  are  his  mother,  the  Dowager  Empress  Dag- 
mar;  Pobiedonostzeff,  the  Procurator  of  the  Holy 
Synod;  and  the  Grand  Duke  ,  the  Tsar's  con- 
stant companion  and  bosom  friend.' 

At  the  sound  of  such  names  as  these  I  was  almost 
appalled  at  the  outset.  The  character  of  the  Dowager 
Empress,  as  much  as  her  rank,  rendered  her  unap- 
proachable.    M.   Pobiedonostzeff,  although   a   bigot, 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    101 

was  not  likely  to  be  a  traitor.  The  Grand  Duke  was 
an  unknown  quantity,  as  far  as  I  was  concerned,  but 
it  did  not  seem  very  probable  that  a  personage  in  his 
position  would  prove  accessible  to  a  bribe. 

It  never  does  to  despair  too  soon.  I  put  the  ques- 
tion which  long  experience  of  the  dark  side  of  human 
nature  has  rendered  habitual  with  me — 

'  Has  the  Grand  Duke  any  vices  ? ' 

'  He  gambles  a  good  deal  in  the  Yacht  Club.* 

I  drew  a  breath  of  satisfaction.  Of  all  men  the 
gambler  is  the  easiest  to  corrupt,  because  to  him 
alone  money  is  everything,  and  because  there  comes 
a  time  to  every  gambler  when  money  is  not  to  be 
had. 

'  Who  are  his  gambling  companions  ? '  was  my  next 
question. 

The  Ambassador  named  several  Russian  nobles  of 
high  rank,  among  whom  the  leading  spirit  seemed 
to  be  a  Prince  Boris  Mendelieff.  I  was  going  on 
with  my  inquiries  when  his  Excellency  checked 
me. 

'  I  have  told  you  enough,  it  seems  to  me,  to  enable 
you  to  go  on  by  yourself.  In  the  meantime  I  am  the 
Ambassador  of  the  Sultan,  not  his  secret  service 
agent,  and  I  wish  to  know  nothhig  that  might  com- 
promise me.' 

I  respected  his  scruples,  though  they  were  such 
as  some   Russian  diplomatists  would  scarcely  havo 


102         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

understood,  and  proceeded  to  form  my  own  plans  for 
making  the  acquaintance  of  Prince  MendeliefF. 

Fortunately  the  Russians  are  as  unsuspicious  in 
private  life  as  they  are  suspicious  in  politics.  My 
skill  as  a  bridge -player,  a  game  in  which  I  have  no 
living  superior,  proved  a  ready  passport  into  the 
gaming  circles  of  Petersburg,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  I  found  myself  sitting  at  the  same  card-table 
with  the  intimate  of  the  Grand  Duke. 

I  was  lucky  enough  to  lose  a  considerable  sum  to 
him,  which  I  paid  with  a  good  grace,  and  he  could 
not  do  less  than  invite  me  to  his  house.  I  accepted 
the  invitation  with  an  eagerness  which  must  have 
struck  him  as  rather  ill-bred,  and  we  drove  there 
together.  Over  a  bottle  of  champagne  I  became 
confidential.  I  avowed  myself  to  be  a  money-lender, 
as  well  as  a  concession-hunter,  and  hinted  that  I 
should  be  prepared  to  pay  handsomely  for  intro- 
ductions to  clients  of  high  station. 

Mendelieff'  took  the  bait  like  a  hungry  pike.  He 
was  the  first  to  mention  the  name  of  the  Grand 
Duke,  doubtless  knowing  that  his  Imperial  High- 
ness would  be  only  too  pleased  to  meet  such  an 
accommodating  person  as  I  appeared  to  be.  A 
bargain  was  struck,  and  Mendelieff  promised  to  let 
me  know  as  soon  as  he  had  arranged  for  my  recep- 
tion by  his  august  patron. 

The  meeting  took  place  in  the  Prince's  own  house. 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    103 

Cards  were  produced,  the  stakes  were  exceedingly 
high,  and  rather  against  my  wish  I  won  steadily, 
while  the  losses  of  the  Grand  Duke  were  severe 
enough  to  disturb  his  good  humour.  Mendelieff 
artfuUy  seized  the  right  moment  to  present  me  as  a 
friend  in  need,  and  to  take  off  the  rest  of  the  party, 
leaving  us  together. 

The  Grand  Duke  lost  no  time  in  putting  me  to 
the  proof 

'  You  are  a  banker,  are  you  not,  M.  de  Sarthe  ? ' 
— De  Sarthe  was  the  name  under  which  I  had 
crossed  the  frontier. 

'  At  least,  I  represent  some  important  financial 
houses,'  I  replied. 

'Oh,  spare  me  that  kind  of  thing,'  his  Imperial 
Highness  returned  impatiently, '  let  us  take  the  usual 
comedy  for  granted,  and  tell  me  frankly  how  much 
you  are  prepared  to  lend  me.' 

'  I  do  not  know  how  much  you  want,  sir,  but 
I  have  any  sum  up  to  a  million  roubles  at  your 
service.' 

The  Grand  Duke's  eyes  sparkled. 

*  M.  de  Sarthe,  you  are  a  friend  indeed ! '  he 
exclaimed.  'But  what  are  your  terms  for  this 
advance  ? ' 

'  As  far  as  your  pocket  is  concerned,  nothing.  I 
do  not  even  ask  that  this  loan  shall  ever  be  repaid.' 

He  stared  at  me  for  a  moment  in  astonishment. 


104         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Then  all  at  once  his   expression  changed,   and   his 
voice  dropped  to  a  whisper. 

'Ah!  I  understand.  This  is  some  affair  of  the 
secret  service.  You  are  olfering  me  a  bribe,  I 
suppose.' 

'I  do  not  come  from  the  Third  Section,  if  that 
is  what  your  Highness  means.  I  am,  as  I  have 
said,  a  financier,  and  my  only  object  is  to  make 
money.' 

'  I  see.  You  wish  me  to  influence  the  Government 
on  your  behalf?' 

'  Not  exactly  that,  sir.  I  am  in  search  of  informa- 
tion— information  which  will  enable  me  to  operate 
successfully  on  the  Paris  Bourse.' 

The  Grand  Duke  looked  rather  relieved.  It 
was  evident  that  he  did  not  consider  this  very 
serious. 

•  And  what  is  the  information  you  want  ? '  he  asked. 

'  It  is  very  simple.  I  want  to  know  the  real  bear- 
ing of  the  recent  Peace  Rescript  of  the  Tsar.  Let 
me  explain,'  I  went  on  quickly,  raising  my  hand  as 
I  saw  he  was  about  to  speak.  '  I  know  the  surface 
explanation  of  the  matter,  but  I  do  not  believe  it. 
I  do  not  believe  that  this  rescript  would  ever  have 
seen  the  light  unless  the  Council  of  State  had  some 
purpose  of  their  own  to  serve  by  it,  and  I  want  to 
know  what  that  purpose  is.  It  is  not  to  lessen  the 
burden  of  their  own  armaments ;  they  could  do  that, 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    105 

if  they  chose,  to-morrow.  This  is  an  appeal  to  the 
other  Powers  to  disarm,  and  I  want  to  know  why  it 
has  been  made.' 

The  Grand  Duke  listened  to  this  speech  in  silence, 
biting  his  lips  with  an  air  of  indecision  from  which  I 
augured  a  good  result. 

'You  seem  to  know  a  good  deal,  M.  de  Sarthe,' 
he  said  sullenly.  '  Surely  you  must  know  that  I  am 
not  in  the  secrets  of  our  Foreign  Office.' 

'  I  believe  that,  of  course,  if  you  say  so,  sir.  But 
I  believe  as  well  that  the  Tsar  did  not  draw  up  this 
document  without  your  encouragement,  and  that  in 
encouraging  the  Tsar,  you  acted  as  the  instrument 
of  the  Council  of  State.  I  am  entitled  to  suppose 
that  you  were  not  a  blind  instrument,  but  that 
you  knew  pretty  well  why  the  Council  were  so 
ready  to  fall  in  with  the  enthusiastic  impulses  of 
Nicholas  II.' 

It  was  a  bold  thrust,  but  it  went  home.  The 
Grand  Duke  gave  nie  a  startled  look,  and  relapsed 
into  a  long  spell  of  silent  pondering.  Finally  he 
said — 

'  And  supposing  I  were  to  tell  you  something  that 
you  considered  it  worth  a  million  roubles  to  hear, 
what  guarantee  have  I  that  you  would  not  betray 
my  secret  ?  What  proof  have  I  even  now  that  you 
are  not  a  spy  set  on  by  my  enemies  in  the  Council 
of  State  ? ' 


106         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

*  I  will  give  your  Highness  that  proof  on  con- 
dition that,  if  it  is  satisfactory,  you  will  accept  my 
proposal.' 

'  I  consent.* 

'  Then  all  I  need  do  is  to  invite  you  to  make  your 
communication,  not  to  me  but  to  the  Ambassador 
of  the  Sublime  Porte,  whom  you  will  hardly 
suspect  of  being  in  the  confidence  of  M.  Pobie- 
donostzeff.' 

With  these  words  I  rose  to  my  feet.  Stupefied  for 
a  moment,  the  Grand  Duke  recovered  himself  in 
time  to  make  a  detaining  gesture. 

'  Do  not  go,  monsieur.  What  you  have  said  com- 
pletely satisfies  me.  It  appears  that  I  am  required 
to  betray  my  country.' 

'  That  depends,'  I  returned  smoothly.  '  If  the 
Council  of  State  is  plotting  to  betray  the  Tsar,  as  I 
understand  it  is,  I  should  have  thought  it  consistent 
with  the  honour  of  a  Russian  prince  of  the  blood  to 
take  part  in  defeating  their  unworthy  schemes.' 

This  was  evidently  a  new  view  to  his  Imperial 
Highness,  and  I  could  see  by  the  expression  of  his 
face  that  it  was  telling  powerfully. 

'  Well,'  he  said  at  length,  '  it  seems  to  me  that  you 
have  my  word.  When  do  you  propose  to  pay  me 
this  money  ? ' 

'  Now,  this  moment,  if  your  Highness  pleases.* 

'  Count  it  out,  then,'  was  the  brief  injunction. 


It  was  a  singular  scene,  as  1  stood  tlieie  layintj  down  jiile  after 
pile  of  greasy  len-thousaiid-roubie  notes  on  a  richly  inlaid 
lahle." 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    107 

I  obeyed.  It  was  a  singular  scene  as  I  stood 
there  laying  down  pile  after  pile  of  greasy  ten 
thousand  rouble  notes  on  a  richly  inlaid  table,  while 
one  of  the  highest  personages  in  the  proudest 
Court  of  Europe  or  Asia  stood  beside  me,  his  tall 
figure  gUstening  with  gold  ornaments  and  jewelled 
decorations,  and  his  dark  Slavonian  features  flushed 
with  excitement  and  greed.  As  the  last  note  left 
my  fingers,  he  bent  down  and  breathed  in  my  ear — 

•  Take  the  Siberian  raihvay,  and  use  your  eyes.' 

I  am  ready  to  admit  that  my  first  feehng,  after 
hearingr  those  few  words  which  had  cost  me  a  hun- 
dred  thousand  roubles  each,  was  one  of  sickening 
disappointment.  But  a  very  little  consideration 
served  to  show  me  that  the  Grand  Duke  had  told 
me  enough  to  place  success  within  my  reach,  and 
that  the  information  which  he  thus  put  it  in  my 
power  to  acquire  by  my  own  observation  was 
calculated  to  be  of  greater  value  than  any  mere 
statement  made  at  second-hand. 

Somewhere  along  the  vast,  just  completed  track 
which  connects  the  Baltic  with  the  Pacific  lay  the 
key  to  the  true  purpose  of  that  famous  rescript  which 
had  imposed  on  all  the  statesmen  of  the  world,  and 
only  vigilance  and  circumspection  were  required 
to  find  it. 

Never  was  there  a  journey  more  fraught  with 
peril  than  that  which  I  now  undertook.     I  had  to 


108         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

disappear  from  civilisation  for  an  unknown  length 
of  time,  and  plunge  into  a  region  shrouded  in 
mysterious  dread,  the  land  of  prison  and  exile ;  the 
gloomy  realm  which  forms  the  background  to  the 
showy  life  of  the  capital  beside  the  Neva,  like  a  dark 
subterranean  dungeon  hidden  beneath  a  glittering 
palace. 

From  Siberia  few  enemies  of  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment ever  return.  My  safety  depended  on  my 
keeping  up  the  character  of  a  financial  agent,  on  the 
look-out  for  sources  of  wealth  requiring  French 
capital  for  their  development.  In  that  character  I 
was  sure  of  a  cordial  reception,  and  it  served  as  a 
convenient  cloak  for  some  curiosity  about  the  country 
I  was  passing  through. 

Not  daring  to  intrust  my  secret  to  a  companion, 
I  was  obliged  to  go  without  sleep  from  the  moment 
of  leaving  the  Ural  mountains  behind.  The  utmost 
indulgence  I  could  allow  myself  was  such  a  light 
doze  as  left  the  attention  ready  to  leap  into  activity 
at  the  least  provocation.  At  every  stopping  place 
I  got  out  and  made  a  careful  examination  of  the 
neighbourhood.  The  one  thing  I  had  to  fear  was 
the  night.  In  the  Cimmerian  darkness  of  a  northern 
winter  I  might  have  been  carried  past  an  army 
without  perceiving  it. 

The  train  by  which  I  travelled  was  a  long  one, 
and  it  was  increased  before  we  entered  Asia  by  the 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT     109 

addition  of  an  open  car  like  a  cattle-truck,  contain- 
ing peasants  whom  I  took  to  be  prisoners.  I  had  to 
be  careful  not  to  show  myself  too  inquisitive,  but  I 
noticed  at  the  various  stations  along  the  track  that 
they  were  all  young  men  of  about  the  same  age, 
and  that  they  got  in  and  out  in  obedience  to  orders 
given  by  officials  who  were  armed,  and  whom  I 
imagined  to  be  warders  or  police. 

I  did  not  consider  it  safe  to  hold  much  conversa- 
tion with  my  fellow  passengers.  It  was  probable 
that  more  than  one  spy  was  among  them.  I  had 
an  uneasy  sensation  of  being  watched  by  invisible 
eyes,  and  I  knew  that  if  I  once  aroused  real  suspicion 
by  my  behaviour,  my  doom  was  sealed. 

So  the  days  and  nights  passed,  and  the  train  crept 
on  its  way  across  the  silence  of  the  frozen  continent. 
I  strained  my  eyes  in  vain  across  the  blinding  waste, 
and  strained  my  ears  through  the  night.  No  sight 
or  sound  rewarded  me,  save  the  solitary  huts  of  the 
railway-men  and  the  monotonous  tinkle  of  sleigh- 
bells. 

According  to  my  reckoning  we  had  got  nearly 
half  way  from  the  Ural  to  the  Amur  when  the 
longest  stage  of  all  was  reached.  We  ran  from  the 
sunset  of  one  day  to  nearly  noon  of  the  next,  only 
halting  to  take  in  water  and  fuel.  Then  at  last  the 
train  entered  a  town  of  considerable  importance, 
apparently  a  sort  of  depot  of  the  line,  there  being 


no         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

many  side-rails  on  whicli  trucks  were  standing  as 
though  waiting  till  they  should  be  required. 

As  soon  as  the  tniin  stopped,  I  got  out  as  usual 
with  the  other  passengers,  to  stretch  my  legs  and 
look  about  me.  The  long  journey  and  the  lack  of 
proper  rest  had  so  exhausted  me  that  it  was  some 
time  before  I  realised  that  there  was  an  unusual 
lack  of  bustle  about  this  particular  halt. 

When  at  last  the  fact  of  this  strange  stillness  was 
borne  in  upon  my  consciousness,  I  roused  myself 
to  observation.  At  once  I  perceived  that  the  alight- 
ing passengers  were  fewer  in  number  than  before. 
It  was  the  troop  I  had  mistaken  for  prisoners  who 
were  missing.  I  looked  at  the  end  of  the  train  for 
their  car.     It  was  no  longer  there. 

We  had  silently  slipped  the  wagon  in  the  course 
of  the  night ! 

This  discovery  acted  on  my  tired  brain  like  magic. 
In  an  instant  I  was  again  the  alert,  cautious  in- 
vestigator whose  decisions  were  as  swift  as  his 
intuitions  were  unerring.  Without  hesitating  I 
returned  to  my  carriage,  removed  my  luggage  with 
the  aid  of  a  porter,  and  ordered  a  sleigh  to  drive 
me  to  the  hotel. 

The  guard  of  the  train  came  up  to  me,  as  I  was 
making  these  preparations,  and  asked  me  if  I  were 
not  going  on. 

'Not  by  your  train,'  I  replied  blandly.     'I  shall 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    111 

break  my  journey  here,  and  look  about  me.  By 
what  I  can  see  this  place  seems  likely  to  be  an 
important  commercial  centre,  such  as  I  have  come 
in  search  of.' 

'  Your  Excellency  is  mistaken/  the  man  answered 
roughly.  'This  place  is  nothing  at  all — only  a 
dumping  place  for  spare  wagons.  To-morrow  we 
shall  come  to  a  really  important  town,  where  much 
business  is  done.' 

I  gave  the  fellow  my  most  supercilious  stare. 
Then,  pulling  out  a  note  for  fifty  roubles,  I  handed 
it  to  him,  saying  haughtily — 

'  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  trouble.     Good  day.' 

He  drew  back  astonished  and  abashed,  and  I 
made  my  way  out  of  the  station,  without  once 
turning  to  see  if  I  were  followed. 

Directly  I  reached  the  hotel  I  threw  myself  on 
a  bed,  and  slept  soundly  for  twenty-four  hours. 

I  awoke  refreshed  and  vigorous,  and  ready  to 
carry  out  my  task  with  coolness  and  resolution. 
Knowing  myself  to  be  in  a  land  where  every  second 
man  was  a  spy,  I  thought  it  idle  to  attempt  any 
concealment  of  my  actions.  I  was  there  as  an 
explorer,  and  I  determined  to  explore  boldly.  If 
the  agents  of  the  Government  took  it  on  themselves 
to  stop  me,  I  knew  weU  enough  how  to  deal  with 
them. 

My  first  step  was  to  ask  the  landlord  of  the  hotel 


112  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

to  recommend  me  a  guide.  The  man  whom  he 
presented  to  me  was  a  typical  mouchard,  with  '  spy ' 
written  on  every  line  of  his  countenance.  This  was 
just  what  I  expected.  I  engaged  him  at  a  liberal 
salary,  and  ordered  him  to  fit  out  an  expedition  for 
a  journey  of  some  days  into  the  interior. 

'  Where  do  you  want  to  go  ? '  the  man  asked. 

'Where  I  please,'  I  replied  sharply.  'Keep  your 
curiosity  to  yourself,  or  take  another  master.  I  want 
a  guide,  not  a  partner.' 

This  rebuke  had  the  desired  effect.  The  police 
agent,  for  such  of  course  he  was,  was  obliged  to 
come  with  me  on  my  own  terms.  Doubtless  he 
reported  me  to  his  bureau  as  a  headstrong  man 
who  could  not  be  controlled  by  any  means  save 
open  force. 

At  the  same  time  I  lost  no  opportunity  of  im- 
pressing the  authorities  with  my  assumed  character. 
The  Prefect  of  the  town  called  on  me,  and  I  explained 
to  him  that  Siberia  was  regarded  in  Paris  as  one 
of  the  richest  mineral  regions  of  the  earth,  and  that 
I  was  merely  the  pioneer  of  a  swarm  of  prospectors 
who  would  be  invading  it  before  long.  I  made  his 
mouth  water  as  I  talked  of  shares  and  syndicates, 
and  conveyed  to  him  that  by  a  judicious  use  of 
his  opportunities  he  might  become  one  of  the 
millionaires  of  the  future. 

To  the  westward   of  the  town,  in   the  direction 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    113 

from  which  the  train  had  brought  me,  there  was 
visible  a  range  of  low  hills,  a  conspicuous  landmark 
in  the  desolate  plain.  It  was  towards  these  hills 
that  I  ordered  my  guide  to  conduct  me,  as  soon  as 
the  preparations  for  the  march  were  completed. 

The  rascal  was  cunning  enough  to  hide  his  reluc- 
tance, and  we  set  out.  But  after  we  had  gone  a 
day's  journey  I  noticed  that  our  march  was  steadily 
veering  away  from  the  line  of  the  railway,  and 
taking  a  northerly  direction.  I  said  nothing,  deter- 
mined to  counteract  these  tactics  at  the  right 
moment.  At  the  end  of  the  third  day,  after  a  slow 
progress  compared  with  the  speed  of  the  train,  we 
pitched  our  camp  at  the  foot  of  the  range,  about 
forty  miles,  as  ntar  as  I  could  judge,  from  the  point 
where  it  was  pierced  by  the  railway. 

The  next  morning  the  caravan  wound  its  way 
to  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  and  I  looked  down  on 
a  broad  valley,  watered  by  a  river,  and  broken  up 
by  small  spurs  jutting  out  from  the  main  watershed. 
As  the  guide  was  about  to  plunge  down,  so  as  to 
cross  the  stream,  I  checked  him  abruptly. 

'  We  are  not  going  that  way.  I  shall  turn  south- 
ward now,  and  keep  along  the  summit  of  the  ridge 
till  wo  come  to  the  railway.' 

The  man's  face  turned  as  black  as  a  thunder-cloud. 

'  You  cannot  go  that  way/  he  snorted. 

'Why?' 

H 


114         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

He  hesitated. 

'  Because  it  is  impassable.  The  horses  will  break 
down.' 

'We  will  go  on  till  they  do/  I  answered  sternly. 
'  And  let  this  be  your  last  attempt  to  disobey  me.  At 
the  next  I  send  you  back,  ami  go  on  without  you.' 

The  man  slunk  forward,  muttering  curses,  which 
I  affected  not  to  hear.  But  I  had  not  yet  frightened 
him  sufl&ciently.  At  the  next  halt  one  of  the  drivers 
came  to  me  and  reported  that  a  horse  had  gone  lame. 

'  Bring  it  here/  I  commanded. 

He  went  away,  and  returned  leading  the  animal. 

'Go/  I  said  sternly.  'Take  the  horse  back  with 
you,  and  take  rations  for  three  days.  Do  not  let  me 
see  you  again.' 

The  driver  looked  thoroughly  crestfallen.  He 
slouched  back  to  his  comrades  without  another 
word. 

I  waited  till  half  an  hour  had  passed,  then  I  rose 
and  walked  over  to  the  camp-fire,  round  which  my 
followers  were  seated,  the  driver  among  them. 

'  How  is  it  that  you  are  still  here  ? '  I  demanded. 

'  The  horse  is  all  right  again/  was  the  surly  answer. 

'So  much  the  worse  for  you.'  I  took  out  my 
revolver  in  one  hand,  and  my  watch  in  the  other. 
'In  ten  minutes  from  now  I  aim  this  revolver  at 
you,  and  fire,'  I  remarked.  '  It  kills  at  two  hundred 
metres.     I  should  advise  you  to  get  out  of  range.' 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    115 

I  do  not  think  I  have  ever  seen  a  man  get  through 
his  preparations  in  less  time  than  then.  Long  before 
the  allotted  time  was  up,  he  was  well  out  of  reach, 
galloping  down  the  slope  of  the  hill. 

In  every  expedition  through  a  wild  country  there 
comes  a  moment  which  decides  who  is  to  be  master. 
That  moment  past,  I  had  no  fear  of  further  trouble. 
I  was  now  able  to  unbend  with  the  guide ;  I  informed 
him  that  I  expected  to  find  gold,  and  promised  him 
a  rich  reward  if  I  succeeded  with  his  aid. 

But  a  disappointment  was  in  store  for  me.  Al- 
though we  marched  carefully  along  the  summit  of 
the  hills,  and  I  scrutinised  every  yard  of  the  valley 
below  with  a  powerful  field-glass,  I  detected  no  trace 
of  anything  calling  for  investigation ;  in  fact,  I  dis- 
cerned no  signs  of  human  life.  By  the  time  I  had 
worked  down  to  the  railway  I  began  to  fear  that  I 
was  on  a  false  scent. 

It  was  in  the  night,  after  we  had  pitched  our  camp 
close  beside  the  Hne,  that  the  true  solution  occurred 
to  me.  I  rose  and  secretly  crept  out  of  my  tent, 
eluding  the  solitary  watchman,  and  made  my  way 
along  the  track  of  the  rails.  After  groping  and 
stumbling  over  the  roughly  laid  road  for  three  or 
four  miles,  I  suddenly  made  a  discovery.  The  Hne 
divided,  sending  off"  a  brunch  rail,  which  curved 
away  to  the  south. 

I  knew  now  what  had  become  of  the  missing  gang 


116         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

of  prisoners,  or  rather— for  by  this  time  I  saw  more 
clearly — of  military  recruits. 

I  also  knew  why  I  had  missed  my  way.  The 
guide  had  led  me  to  the  north  of  the  line,  and  what 
I  had  come  so  far  to  find  lay  to  the  south. 

The  next  day  I  issued  orders  to  continue  the 
march  to  the  southward,  crossing  the  railway.  The 
face  of  the  guide,  when  he  received  this  direction, 
sufficiently  showed  that  I  was  getting  warm,  as  the 
children  say,  at  last.  He  made  no  open  remonstrance, 
but  in  the  course  of  the  day  I  noticed  that  another 
man  and  horse  had  disappeared. 

I  paid  no  attention  to  this  proof  of  treachery.  It 
came  too  late  to  affect  mc.  By  noon  of  the  first 
day  after  quitting  the  main  line  for  the  south,  I 
was  already  in  possession  of  the  carefully  guarded 
secret  of  the  Council  of  State. 

There  at  my  feet,  along  the  widening  valley,  lay 
a  double  line  of  rails,  gleaming  blue  in  the  sunlight, 
and  all  across  the  level  space  at  regular  intervals 
stretched  low  banks  and  ditches — the  lines  of  a 
vast  encampment,  capable  of  accommodating  half  a 
million  men.  Still  further  on  I  had  a  glimpse  of 
the  white  sparkle  of  tents  and  piles  of  fresh-hewn 
timber,  and  I  even  fancied  I  could  catch  the  faint 
hum  of  voices  and  the  thud  of  hammers  as  the 
hidden  army  toiled  away  at  its  barracks  and  en- 
trenchments. 


o    -^ 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  RESCRIPT    117 

The  meaning  of  the  Peace  Rescript  was  manifest 
at  last,  and  the  meaning  was  formidable  indeed. 
While  appearing  to  disarm  in  concert  with  the  rest 
of  Europe,  Russia's  intention  was  secretly  to  with- 
draw her  enormous  forces  to  this  unsuspected  retreat, 
from  whence,  at  the  decisive  moment,  they  would 
issue  like  a  creation  of  magic,  to  overwhelm  the 
defenceless  continent. 

I  had  made  my  discovery ;  it  was  still  a  question 
whether  I  was  to  return  with  it  in  safety. 

Before  I  had  made  up  my  mind  whether  to  push 
my  observations  further,  I  was  alarmed  to  see  a 
sotnia  of  Cossacks  approaching,  led  by  a  Russian 
officer.  My  little  camp  was  quickly  surrounded, 
and  the  officer  presented  himself  before  me. 

It  required  all  my  nerve  to  deal  with  the  emergency. 
The  first  words  of  the  officer  showed  me  that  he  con- 
sidered me  a  spy,  and  was  prepared  to  hang  me  out 
of  hand.  I  affected  the  utmost  astonishment  and 
indignation,  and  produced  the  papers  which  showed 
me  to  be  a  Frenchman  travelling  on  behalf  of  various 
financial  syndicates  in  Paris.  The  officer  thrust 
them  aside  contemptuously. 

'All  this  is  notliing  to  me,'  he  declared.  'You 
should  not  have  come  within  reach  of  our  camp. 
Even  if  I  do  not  hang  you,  you  will  never  be  allowed 
to  return  to  Europe,  of  that  you  may  be  assured.' 

*  I  will  take  my  chance  of  that,  captain,'  I  answered 


118         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

coolly.  'Living  in  tliis  out- of- the- way  region,  you 
perhaps  have  not  heard  that  France  and  Russia  are 
in  military  alliance,  and,  besides,  that  the  Tsar  has 
declared  his  intention  to  disarm,  so  that  your  pre- 
parations here  have  ceased  to  be  of  the  slightest 
consequence  to  anybody.' 

The  officer  was  fixirly  staggered.  He  had  heard, 
of  course,  of  the  French  alliance,  and  no  doubt  some 
rumour  as  to  the  recent  rescript  had  penetrated  to 
the  secret  camp,  but  without  its  scope  being  very 
well  understood. 

'  I  know  that  it  is  my  duty  to  arrest  you,  at  the 
very  least,'  he  persisted. 

'As  to  that,  you  will  do  as  you  please.  It  will 
sound  well  in  Paris  that  every  prospector  who 
ventures  into  Siberia  with  a  view  of  developing  the 
resources  of  the  country  exposes  himself  to  the 
treatment  of  a  spy.  M.  Witte  will  find  it  takes 
some  persuasion  to  secure  another  French  loan.' 

It  is  needless  to  give  further  details  of  a  conversa- 
tion in  which  the  ignorance  of  the  Russian  gave 
me  a  very  great  advantage  over  him.  I  am  vain 
enough  to  plume  myself  on  having  made  use  of  the 
treacherous  rescript  to  out-manoeuvre  its  authors.  In 
saying  that,  of  course,  I  do  not  refer  to  Nicholas  XL, 
who  perhaps  did  not  even  know  of  the  existence  of 
the  hidden  camp. 

In  the  end  the  Cossack  officer  decided  to  escort 


WHAT  WAS  BEHIND  THE  EESCRIPT    119 

me  back  to  tlie  town  where  I  had  left  the  train, 
and  hand  me  over  to  the  civil  authorities,  a  decision 
which  was  assisted  by  the  usual  methods  of  per- 
suasion in  the  East.  My  friend  the  Prefect,  ah-eady 
predisposed  in  my  favour,  required  a  somewhat 
heavier  bribe,  and  finally  I  made  assurance  doubly 
sure  by  resuming  my  journey  eastward,  and  leaving 
Russian  territory  by  way  of  the  Chinese  frontier. 

It  was  from  the  first  telegraph  station  in  the 
Celestial  Empire  that  I  sent  the  cipher  despatch  to 
Constantinople  which  was  destined  to  render  abortive 
the  much-talkcd-of  Conference  at  the  Hague : 

'Russia  preparing  enormous  concealed  camp  in 
Siberia,  beside  railway,  to  hide  forces  when  nominally 
disbanded.    I  have  seen  it' 

Abdul  Hamid  was  too  shrewd  to  take  any  open 
part  in  opposing  the  Russian  proposals,  but  when 
I  saw  the  firm  stand  made  against  them  by  the 
German  representatives,  I  knew  that  he  had  not 
thrown  my  telegram  into  the  waste-paper  basket. 

It  only  remains  to  add  that  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment, realising  that  its  secret  had  been  betrayed, 
stealthily  set  to  work  to  efface  every  sign  of  the 
concealed  camp  ;  and  that,  if  my  latest  information 
be  correct,  the  mysterious  valley  is  again  given  over 
to  silence  and  to  solitude. 


WHO   REALLY   KILLED   KING   HUMBERT   OF 
ITALY  1 

Guy  de  Maupassant  once  remarked  to  me  that  it 
was  necessary  to  preserve  the  Anarchists  in  order  to 
make  modern  history  interesting. 

The  rulers  of  the  world  seem  to  be  of  the  same 
opinion.  Over  and  over  again  scientists  and  men  of 
common  sense  have  told  them  that  the  Anarchist  is 
simply  a  diseased  mind,  requiring  to  be  dealt  with 
like  other  brain-sick  creatures.  But  statesmen  and 
police  alike  have  persisted  in  treating  the  Anarchist 
as  a  serious  politician,  with  results  which  are,  unfor- 
tunately, too  well  known. 

It  is  true  that,  after  the  death  of  Elizabeth  of 
Austria,  the  chivalrous  King  of  Italy,  Humbert, 
summoned  a  conference  of  diplomatists  and  police 
directors  in  Venice  to  consider  methods  for  dealing 
with  the  Anarchists.  But  he  would  have  done  better 
to  call  in  Professor  Lombroso.  I  myself  would  under- 
take to  guarantee  the  life  of  every  ruler  in  Europe 

120 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT?   121 

and  America,  for  the  sum  of  £20,000  a  year,  provided 
I  were  allowed  to  incarcerate  in  an  asylum  every  man 
whom  I  could  prove  to  be  a  sufferer  from  homicidal 
mania. 

As  it  was,  I  foreboded  that  the  only  result  of  King 
Humbert's  gallant  action  would  be  to  point  him  out 
to  these  creatures  as  their  next  victim.  Yet  I  must 
now  so  far  confess  myself  mistaken  as  to  declare  that 
the  death  of  the  late  King  of  Italy  does  not  really  lie 
at  the  door  of  Anarchism. 

It  was  another  European  sovereign,  more  alive  to 
the  realities  of  the  situation  than  Humbert,  who 
secretly  commissioned  me  to  make  an  investigation 
into  the  organisation  of  the  Anarchist  sect  and  the 
trend  of  its  operations.  I  must  not  disclose  the  name 
of  this  monarch ;  to  do  so  would  be  to  point  him  out 
to  the  vengeance  of  the  assassins. 

As  soon  as  I  had  received  his  commission  I  laid 
aside  all  my  other  work  and  prepared  to  disappear  for 
an  indefinite  period. 

My  first  step  was  to  transform  myself  into  a  work- 
man, or  rather  a  loafer,  for  an  industrious  workman 
is  seldom  found  among  the  'active'  Anarchists.  I 
secured  a  few  jobs  in  Paris  as  a  house-painter's 
labourer — that  is  to  say,  I  did  the  scraping  and  clean- 
ing before  the  skilled  workman  applied  the  fresh 
coats  of  paint.  I  took  care  to  show  no  zeal  in  my 
employment,  and  in  the  intervals  of  work  I  hung 


122         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

about  the  brasseries  and  grumbled  at  the  smallness 
of  my  earnings. 

By  these  tactics  I  quickly  earned  the  reputation  of 
a  good  comrade,  and  a  true-hearted  Republican.  The 
Socialists  of  the  quarter  I  had  chosen  to  work  in 
quickly  recognised  me  as  a  lil^ely  convert,  and  I 
allowed  them  to  enrol  me  in  one  of  the  most  advanced 
societies. 

All  these  measures  were  mere  preliminaries  to  the 
final  one  of  blossoming  forth  as  a  declared  Anarchist. 
It  is  from  the  ranks  of  Socialism  that  Anarchism 
draws  its  recruits.  Though  the  two  theories  are 
utterly  opposed,  they  express  the  same  discontent 
with  civilisation.  An  Anarchist  is  little  more  than 
a  Socialist  who  has  gone  out  of  his  mind. 

By  going  over  to  the  Anarchist  group  from  the 
arms  of  their  rivals,  I  ensured  myself  a  welcome 
which  would  never  have  been  given  to  me  had  I 
attempted  to  force  myself  upon  them  at  the  outset. 

Among  the  Anarchists  it  was  necessary  to  adopt 
rather  different  tactics.  I  had  now  to  play  the  part 
of  a  dangerous  lunatic,  only  awaiting  direction  from 
some  superior  mind  to  commit  an  act  of  violence. 

Paris  itself  is  not  an  important  Anarchist  centre. 
The  French  police  are  too  quick  witted  for  their 
capital  to  be  a  comfortable  residence  for  these  des- 
peradoes. The  three  great  centres,  as  most  people 
know,  are  Zurich,  London,  and  Jersey  City,  U.S.A. 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT?   123 

Ziirich  is  tlie  Russian  headquarters,  and  is  rather  a 
place  for  Nihilists  than  international  Anarchists.  I 
therefore  decided  to  cross  over  to  London,  in  the 
hope  of  coming  into  touch  with  the  leading  minds  of 
the  sect. 

In  London  I  found  myself  received  without  the 
least  suspicion.  My  carefuUy  prepared  record  stood 
me  in  good  stead.  I  was  introduced  by  my  Parisian 
comrades  as  a  promising  convert  from  Sociahsm, 
and  no  one  inquired  further. 

I  found  the  London  Anarchists  torn  by  internal 
dissensions  which  left  them  no  time  to  think  of 
attacking  kings  and  queens.     The  first  man  I  was 

asked  to  murder  was  Prince ,  the  leader  of  the 

idealist  group,  whose  sole  offence  was  his  refusal  to 
concur  in  the  homicidal  programme  of  the  active 
Anarchists, 

I  refused  to  execute  this  mandate,  on  the  plea  that 
I  had  vowed  to  put  to  death  a  crowned  head,  and 
could  not  afford  to  risk  my  hfc  in  the  pursuit  of 
humbler  prey, 

T  may  state  here  that  the  elaborate  machinery 
of  secret  meetings,  oaths,  ballots,  and  so  on  has 
no  existence  except  in  the  imagination  of  popular 
novelists.  Their  fantastic  descriptions  can  only  pro- 
voke a  smile  on  the  part  of  any  one  who  has  been 
behind  the  scenes  of  Anarchism. 

The  Anarchists  are  a  fluctuating  community,  here 


124         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

to-day  and  gone  to-morrow,  among  whom  a  few  lead- 
ing spirits  who  have  learned  to  know  and  trust  each 
other  by  actual  experience  exercise  an  influence  much 
like  that  exercised  by  the  Front  Bench  over  a  Parlia- 
mentary party  in  England,  an  influence  which  varies 
with  their  own  concord  and  strength  of  character. 

When  these  leaders  find  a  man  whom  they  see  to 
be  a  suitable  instrument,  they  bring  their  influence  to 
bear  on  him  to  carry  out  whatever  object  they  may 
agree  upon.  In  some  cases  perhaps  a  pantomimic 
scene  is  arranged,  such  as  we  read  of  in  romances, 
to  impress  a  weak  mind.  I  can  only  say  that  I  never 
saw  anything  of  the  sort. 

A  well-known  Anarchist,  whose  name  would  be 
recognised  immediately  were  I  to  mention  it,  took 
me  aside  one  night,  and  suggested  to  me  the  removal 
of  the  Prince.  I  gave  the  answer  I  have  mentioned, 
and  the  proposal  was  instantly  dropped. 

My  refusal  was  followed,  naturally  enough,  by  an 
attempt  on  my  own  life.  Two  days  afterwards 
the  editor  of  an  Anarchist  paper,  who  had  taken 
rather  a  fancy  to  me,  came  round  to  my  lodgings 
before  daybreak  and  advised  me  to  leave  for  America. 
He  gave  me  no  reason  for  this  advice,  but  he  was 
very  urgent  with  me,  and  insisted  on  writing  me  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  a  man  living  in  Jersey  City. 
I  promised  to  consider  the  matter,  and  he  bade  me 
farewelL 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT?   125 

On  leaving  my  lodging  an  hour  later  to  go  and 
look  for  a  job — the  customary  pretence — I  discovered 
immediately  that  I  was  being  followed.  I  need 
scarcely  say  that  for  me  to  baffle  the  clumsy  espion- 
age of  such  blunderers  would  have  been  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world.  But  I  wished  to  see  how  far  they 
would  go,  and  I  allowed  my  tracker  to  follow  me  all 
day.  At  night  I  went  down  to  the  Thames  Embank- 
ment. I  placed  myself  on  the  edge  of  the  river  steps 
by  Cleopatra's  Needle,  and  waited. 

I  am  a  good  swimmer,  and  I  did  not  think  it  likely 
that  my  enemy  would  use  a  weapon  if  he  thought  he 
could  get  rid  of  me  by  the  simple  method  of  pushing 
me  into  the  water.  A  pistol  would  be  too  dangerous 
for  himself  on  account  of  the  report.  I  had  seen  that 
he  did  not  carry  a  stick.  He  was  probably  armed 
with  a  knife,  and  he  might  try  and  give  me  a  thrust 
with  it  as  he  pushed  me  over ;  but  a  knife-thrust  in 
the  back  is  not  a  very  serious  thing  to  a  man  who 
has  been  in  the  habit  of  wearing  a  mail  shirt  for 
twenty  years. 

I  am  ready  to  confess  that  my  heart  beat  faster  as 
I  heard  the  stealthy  tread  coming  up  behind  me. 
To  my  surprise  the  would-be  assassin  paused  before 
he  had  got  within  striking  distance,  and  shuffled  with 
his  feet  on  the  flags.  Puzzled  by  these  tactics  I 
glanced  round  and  saw  a  young  man,  not  more  than 
twenty  years  of  age,  whose  face  was  white,  and  who 


126         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

was  trembling  in  every  limb.  At  once  I  grasped  the 
situation.  The  poor  wretch's  heart  had  failed  him, 
and  he  was  trying  to  put  me  on  my  guard  against 
himself,  in  order  that  he  might  have  an  excuse  for 
not  carrying  out  his  task. 

I  walked  past  him  without  a  word,  shook  him  off 
in  the  course  of  the  next  hour,  and  took  the  last 
train  to  Liverpool. 

On  my  arrival  in  the  States,  I  lost  no  time  in 
seeking  out  the  man  to  whom  my  editor  friend  had 
furnished  me  with  an  introduction.  To  the  European 
reader  it  may  be  worth  while  to  explain  that  Jersey 
City  practically  joins  on  to  New  York,  so  that  it  is 
really  a  suburb  of  the  American  metropolis. 

I  was  received  with  open  arms  by  this  man — an 
Italian  named  Ferretti — and  I  became  a  member  of 
the  most  influential  Anarchist  club.  Among  those  I 
sometimes  played  dominoes  with  there  was  a  long- 
haired dreamer  named  Bresci,  a  visitor  from  Paterson. 
All  this  time  I  passed  under  the  name  of  Lebrun. 
My  American  citizenship  I  carefully  concealed. 

I  soon  saw  that  some  one  had  informed  the 
American  group  of  my  being  bound  by  oath  to 
kill  a  crowned  head.  On  all  hands  I  was  treated 
with  the  deference  due  to  a  prospective  martyr. 
It  was  not  long  before  Ferretti  himself  began  to 
sound  me  as  to  my  willingness  to  make  Humbert 
of  Italy  my  victim. 


'mmwmnfmff' 


"  I  walked  past  him  uitlioiit  a  word 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT?   127 

I  was  careful  not  to  discourage  this  suggestion 
as  I  had  the  one  made  to  me  in  London.  I  Hstened 
to  all  Ferretti  had  to  say  with  apparent  acquiescence. 

'  Humbert  has  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  our 
enemies,'  he  urged.  'This  Venice  conference  is  a 
declaration  of  war.  If  we  wish  to  maintain  our 
moral  ascendency  we  must  strike  a  blow  which  will 
intimidate  other  rulers  from  proceeding  against  us,' 

As  soon  as  I  could  get  away  I  went  into  New 
York  and  sent  a  code  telegram  to  my  secretary  in 
Paris  for  him  to  decipher  and  send  on  to  the  King  of 
Italy.  It  was  in  these  terms :  '  Anarchists  in  Jersey 
City,  U.S.A.,  are  looking  for  man  to  send  against 
you.     Have  ports  watched.' 

Unfortunately  the  King  paid  no  attention  to  this 
warning.     He  was  a  fatalist,  it  seems. 

Ferretti  returned  to  the  charge  before  long.  I 
kept  him  in  play,  neither  consenting  nor  refusing, 
my  object  being,  of  course,  to  retain  his  confidence. 
I  did  not  want  another  man  to  be  despatched  instead 
of  rae  without  my  knowledge. 

It  was  not  long  before  others  beside  Ferretti  began 
to  try  and  influence  me  in  the  same  direction.  It 
is  difficult  to  trace  the  first  birth  of  suspicion  in  the 
mind,  but  a  suspicion  was  born  in  mine  that  these 
men  had  some  motive  which  they  had  not  yet 
disclosed  to  me  for  urging  me  to  this  attempt. 

I  tested  them  at  last  by  making  a  counter-proposal. 


128         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

It  was  in  the  club,  late  one  night,  and  there  were 
present,  beside  Ferretti,  another  Italian  who  called 
himself '  The  Bear,'  a  bearded  German  named  Peters, 
and  a  Swiss  watchmaker,  who  was  lame  and  used 
crutches.  These  four  seemed  to  have  a  common 
understanding. 

Peters  had  been  acting  as  spokesman,  and  strongly 
denouncing  the  proceedings  at  Venice,  which  he 
described  as  an  abandonment  of  the  methods  of 
civilisation — a  curious  complaint  for  an  Anarchist 
to  make. 

Ferretti  applied  the  moral. 

'  Some  one  must  be  found  to  avenge  us,'  he  declared. 
'If  Humbert  is  suffered  to  live,  our  principles  are 
doomed.' 

'  I  am  not  sure  of  that,'  I  answered.  '  Humbert  is 
not  a  politician.  He  has  been  stirred  up  because 
Luccheni  killed  a  woman,  which,  in  my  opinion,  was 
an  unwise  action.  We  ought  to  choose  our  victims 
more  carefully.     It  is  absurd  to  pick  off  a  man  like 

Humbert,  when  there  are  such  enemies  as and 

alive.' 

My  remarks  were  received  in  ominous  silence.  The 
other  four  exchanged  looks  of  disappointment.  The 
Bear  was  the  first  to  protest. 

'  It  is  the  curse  of  Anarchism  that  every  one  wants 
to  have  his  own  opinion.  It  seems  to  me  that  when 
men  like  ourselves,  who  have  guided  the  movement 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT  ?  129 

for  years,  are  agreed  on  tlie  right  course  of  action,  a 
new  comrade  ought  to  accept  our  decision.' 

I  did  not  retort  that  the  word  Anarchist,  if  it 
meant  anything,  meant  one  who  had  his  own 
opinion  and  refused  to  be  guided  by  the  agree- 
ment of  others.  There  is  nothing  a  fanatic  resents 
so  much  as  reason,  except  ridicule.  Instead,  I 
affected  to  be  surprised. 

'Do  you  mean  that  you  disapprove  of  the  exe- 
cution   of    ? '    I    demanded,    naming    a    man 

whose  reputation  for  cruelty  and  bigotry  was  world 
wide. 

'The  removal  of  Humbert  ought  to  come  first,' 
was  the  answer. 

'Do  you  say  that  deliberately?  Have  all  our 
comrades  made  up  their  minds,  or  is  it  merely  3'our 
own  opinion?' 

'It  is  the  judgment  of  us  four,'  said  The  Bear. 
'  That  ought  to  be  enough.' 

'  We  arc  willing  to  provide  funds  for  any  comrade 
who  will  undertake  the  mission,'  added  Peters. 

'  But  not  for  any  other  mission,  such  as  one  against 
? '  I  ventured  to  object. 

'  We  have  not  said  that.  We  are  ready  to  consider 
an  application.' 

The  last  answer  came  from  the  lame  watchmaker, 
who  had  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  me  with  a  close 
scrutiny   during   the    whole    conversation.     It   was 

I 


130         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

evident  that  this  man  was  more  cautious  than  the 
other  three,  and  that  he  had  begun  to  distrust  me. 
Perhaps  he  thought  I  was  a  boaster;  perhaps  his 
suspicions  went  deeper. 

'Well,  I  am  not  under  anybody's  orders,'  I  said, 
rising  to  my  feet.  '  Show  me  that  I  can  serve  the 
cause  better  by  Humbert's  removal  than  any  one 
else's,  and  I  will  take  the  mission.' 

The  four  let  me  come  away  in  silence.  I  had 
now  no  doubt  whatever  that  there  was  some  very 
strong  motive  in  the  background  behind  all  this 
talk  about  the  Venice  conference,  and  I  sent  a 
fresh  wire  to  the  threatened  King — '  ATnerican 
group  absolutely  determined  on  your  death,  and 
offering  bribes.' 

This  telegram  was  treated  with  the  same  in- 
difference as  its  predecessor. 

Ferretti  was  naturally  more  inclined  to  trust  me 
than  were  the  others,  thanks  to  my  London  friend's 
recommendation.  I  was,  therefore,  not  surprised  to 
receive  a  call  from  him  the  next  day,  and  to  find  that 
he  was  at  last  going  to  show  his  hand. 

'  It  is  right,  is  it  not,'  he  began,  '  that  you  are 
prepared  to  undertake  the  removal  of  one  of  our 
enemies,  provided  you  are  satisfied  that  you  are 
doing  good  to  the  cause  ? ' 

'That  is  all  I  ask,'  I  responded;  'Humbert  or 
another,  what  does  it  matter  to  me  ? ' 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT  ?  131 

'You  don't  consider  that  the  fact  that  Humbert 
has  taken  a  leading  part  against  us  marks  him 
out  for  destruction  ? ' 

'  No,  I  don't ;  I  don't  believe  he  is  any  worse  than 
the  others.' 

'  Yery  well ;  admitting  that,  for  the  sake  of  argu- 
ment ;  if  I  were  to  prove  to  you  that  Humbert's  death 
would  benefit  the  cause  specially  in  other  ways,  what 
would  you  say  ? ' 

'If  I  believed  that,  I  should  most  likely  con- 
sent.' 

'Good!     That    is    what    I    expected.     Now    you 
understand  that  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you  must 
be  in  the  very  greatest  confidence.' 
I  nodded. 

'The  removal  of  Humbert  will  put  funds  at  our 
disposal  for  other  work.' 

At  last  I  was  on  the  trail.  Carefully  concealing 
my  excitement  under  an  appearance  of  natural  curi- 
osity, I  inquired  :  '  How  is  that,  comrade  ? ' 

'You  must  not  ask  too  much.     I  have  only  got 
authority  to  tell  you  that  it  is  so.     A  sum  of  money 
will  be  ours  as  soon  as  Humbert  is  dead.' 
'  And  you  will  not  tell  me  how  or  why  ? ' 
Ferretti  hesitated. 
'  It  has  been  promised   us— guaranteed  to  us,  in 

fact by  one  who  has  reasons  of  his  own  for  wanting 

to  see  Humbert  out  of  the  way.' 


132         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  I  don't  like  the  sound  of  that/  I  objected. 
'  It  sounds  as  though  we  were  being  hired  as  private 
assassins.' 

Ferretti's  face  fell. 

'  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  tell  you  anything  more 
without  consulting  others,'  he  said  slowly.  '  I  will 
swear  to  you,  if  you  like,  that  it  is  not  a  case  of 
private  revenge.  The  person  behind  us  has  public 
reasons  for  his  conduct,  though  they  arc  not  the 
same  as  ours.' 

This  statement  threw  me  into  a  brown  study. 
What  public  reasons  could  any  one  possibly  have 
for  the  removal  of  the  King  of  Italy?  The  Gari- 
baldians?  No,  they  were  not  assassins — besides, 
they  would  not  have  come  to  America  to  get  a 
suitable  instrument.  There  were  plenty  nearer  at 
hand. 

'  Listen  to  me,'  I  said  at  length.  '  When  I  took 
a  vow  to  rid  the  world  of  a  crowned  head  at  the  risk 
of  my  own  life,  I  did  not  undertake  to  become  a 
blind  tool  in  the  hands  of  any  one  else.  I  owe  no 
obedience  to  you  or  our  comrades.  I  say  what  I 
said  last  night — convince  me  that  I  ought  to  kill 
Humbert,  and  I  will.  But  it  is  no  good  if  you  can't 
trust  me.  Why  should  I  trust  you  with  my  life, 
when  you  won't  trust  me  with  your  reasons  for  want- 
ing this  King  out  of  the  way  ? ' 

Ferretti  was  staggered. 


WHO  KEALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT  ?    133 

'  I  will  tell  the  others  what  you  say,'  he  declared. 
*  For  my  part,  I  think  your  demand  is  reasonable.' 

He  left  me,  but  did  not  come  back.  Days  passed, 
and  no  fiu'ther  overture  was  made  to  me.  On  the 
contrary,  the  lame  Swiss  began  to  talk  to  me  about 
the  other  victims  I  had  pointed  out,  and  to  encourage 
me  to  fix  on  one  of  them. 

I  was  able  to  guess  what  had  happened.  The  four 
were  looking  for  a  more  docile  tool. 

I  sent  off  a  third  wire  : 

'  /  have  lost  touch  with  the  conspiracy.  From  this 
moment  I  no  longer  answer  for  your  life. ' 

This  warning  was  not  even  shown  to  the  doomed 
King. 

I  now  adopted  a  course  which  I  had  put  off  as 
long  as  possible,  on  account  of  the  risk  involved.  I 
secretly  engaged  a  second  lodging  at  a  distance, 
where  I  could  disguise  myself  as  I  pleased,  and 
began  to  shadow  the  Anarchist  leaders. 

It  was  a  dangerous  game  to  play,  because  such 
men  were  accustomed  to  find  themselves  the  sub- 
ject of  police  surveillance,  and  would  probably  be 
quick  to  detect  anything  of  the  sort.  My  only 
chance  of  success  lay  in  the  fact  that  I  already 
possessed  so  much  knowledge  of  their  movements 
as  to  make  the  task  of  watching  them  a  compara- 
tively easy  one. 

I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  real  head 


134         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

of  the  group  was  the  crippled  Swiss.  This  man  kept 
a  small  shop,  chiefly  for  repairs,  in  the  heart  of  the 
Italian  quarter.  I  made  up  as  a  Corsican,  to  account 
for  any  imperfections  of  accent,  and  hung  about  the 
neighbourhood,  begging. 

Ferretti,  Peters,  and  The  Bear  were  frequent 
visitors,  and  the  simpleton  Bresci  called  once  or 
twice,  but  for  some  days  I  saw  nothing  that  I  could 
fix  upon  as  having  a  suspicious  look.  I  remembered, 
however,  that  the  lame  watchmaker  had  always 
been  missing  from  the  gatherings  at  the  club 
on  Saturday  nights,  and  I  looked  forward  to  making 
some  discovery  when  the  end  of  the  week  arrived. 

I  was  not  disappointed,  though  I  had  to  wait  so 
long  that  I  almost  gave  up  hope.  Just  as  the  clock 
struck  ten  a  tall,  swarthy  figure  brushed  right  by 
me,  and  slipped  into  the  little  shop.  The  moment 
after,  the  lame  man  came  out  into  the  street,  and 
began  putting  up  the  shutters. 

It  was  necessary  to  act  promptly.  I  stepped  up 
to  the  Swiss  and  whispered  my  assumed  name  in 
his  ear. 

'  Lebrun  !  You ! '  he  ejaculated  in  astonishment. 
'  I  thought  you  were  one  of  the  police.' 

'  It  is  the  other  way  about,'  I  answered.  '  The 
police  have  been  after  me ;  that  is  why  I  have  had 
to  disguise  myself.  But  let  us  come  inside,  I  want 
to  talk  to  you.' 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT  ?   135 

As  I  expected,  he  tried  to  prevent  me  going 
in. 

'  No,  not  there.     I  have  some  one  on  business.' 

'  Business  of  the  cause  ? '  I  demanded. 

'  Yes — no,  private  business.' 

'  I  will  wait  in  the  shop  till  he  is  gone,'  I  returned, 
and  pushed  my  way  through  the  door,  the  cripple 
following. 

The  tall,  dark  figure  started  to  its  feet  in  evident 
alarm  as  we  entered.  I  saw  a  brown  hand  glide 
towards  the  bosom,  an  action  which  told  me  that  I 
was  not  dealing  with  a  European.  In  the  dim  light 
of  the  little  shop  I  could  not  fix  the  stranger's 
nationality  more  precisely.  He  did  not  seem  to  be 
an  Arab ;  he  was  above  the  grade  of  a  negro.  If  I 
had  met  him  in  Algiers  I  should  have  called  him  a 
Sudanese,  a  convenient  term  for  the  unknown  races 
of  Africa. 

The  situation  was  a  complicated  one.  The  watch- 
maker, it  was  evident,  did  not  more  than  half  believe 
my  account  of  myself;  I  could  not  tell  that  the 
stranger  really  had  any  connection  with  the  mystery 
I  wanted  to  unravel ;  and  he  must  have  been  utterly 
confounded  by  my  intrusion. 

'  Is  your  friend  one  of  us  ?  Does  he  know  any- 
thing about  the  business  you  put  before  me  the  other 
day  ? '  I  asked  of  the  Swiss  in  Italian. 

Before  the  Swiss  could  do  more  than  give  me  a 


136  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

warning  gesture,  the  unknown  had  addressed  him 
in  the  sort  of  Italian  which  forms  the  common 
speech  of  seamen  in  the  Levant. 

'  Is  this  the  man  you  thought  you  could  persuade 
to  undertake  the  work  ? ' 

The  watchmaker  was  fairly  cornered. 

'  Go  inside  and  I  will  speak  to  you,'  he  said  to 
the  swarthy  outlander ;  then  he  added,  speaking  in 
quick  French  to  me — '  I  must  have  some  explanation 
with  you  before  I  trust  you  again.' 

'That  will  not  do  for  me,'  I  returned,  sticking 
to  my  Italian  and  trying  to  render  it  intelligible 
to  the  unknown.  'You  have  asked  me  to  do  a 
dangerous  work  on  behalf  of  the  cause;  very  Avell, 
I  am  ready  to  do  it,  but  first  I  insist  on  knowing 
who  is  going  to  provide  the  sinews  of  war.  That  is 
fair,  it  seems  to  me.' 

This  time  the  stranger's  tone  became  peremptory. 

*  Why  do  not  you  wish  me  to  speak  to  this  man  ? 
he  asked. 

The  shopkeeper  scowled  at  both  of  us  by  turns. 

'  Because  I  don't  know  that  he  is  right,'  he 
muttered. 

'  How  do  I  know  that  you  are  right  ? '  I  retorted. 
'  It  appears  you  are  going  to  have  a  big  price  for 
this  business,  and  you  want  me  to  shut  my  eyes 
and  not  ask  what  becomes  of  the  money.' 

The  Swiss  wrung  his  hands  in  despair.     I  believe 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT?   137 

that  he  was  quite  honest,  and  that  he  wished  for 
the  money  in  order  to  spread  his  atrocious  principles; 
while  his  distrust  of  me  was  only  too  well  founded. 

I  addressed  myself  boldly  to  the  unknown. 

'  I  am  your  man,  I  believe.  Tell  me  who  you  are, 
and  why  you  want  this  job  carried  out,  and  I  will 
undertake  it.  As  for  the  money,  you  may  hand 
that  over  to  my  comrade  here,  as  long  as  I  know 
how  much  it  is.' 

This  last  offer  turned  the  balance.  The  Swiss 
himself  proposed  that  we  should  come  into  the 
back  shop  and  talk  things  over  in  confidence. 

When  we  were  all  three  seated  together,  it  was 
the  watchmaker  who  gave  me  the  long-sought  ex- 
planation in  a  few  words. 

'  This  man  is  an  Abyssinian.  He  has  come  here 
on  behalf  of  the  Emperor  Menelik.' 

'  Menehk ! '  I  exclaimed  in  astonishment.  '  What 
has  he  got  to  do  with  us  ? ' 

'  Nothing  directly ;  but  if  you  have  read  the  papers 
you  must  know  that  Humbert  was  the  moving  spirit 
in  the  Abyssinian  war.  He  made  peace  after  Adowa, 
under  pressure  from  the  Crown  Prince,  who  told  him 
the  dynasty  was  in  danger.  But  Menelik  believes 
that  the  King  is  secretly  preparing  for  a  fresh  attack. 
He  is  in  league  with  the  British,  who  are  advancing 
from  the  Sudan.  The  Abyssinians  want  to  clear 
the   Italians   out   of  their   country   altogether,  and 


138         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

they  can  never  do  that  while  Humbert  is  alive. 
That  is  how  it  stands,  isn't  it  ? ' 

This  last  question  was  addressed  to  Menelik's 
agent.  The  Abyssinian  answered  by  a  smile  that 
showed  his  formidable  white  teeth. 

'The  King  of  Italy  is  the  enemy  of  Abyssinia. 
The  King  of  Italy  must  die.  If  an  Abyssinian  tries 
to  kill  him,  he  will  be  suspected,  and  stopped ;  there- 
fore he  must  be  killed  by  a  European.  The  Negus 
has  sent  me  to  find  a  European  who  will  do  this 
for  money.  I  have  been  in  Italy  and  France,  and 
there  they  told  me  that  it  was  best  for  me  to  apply 
to  the  followers  of  your  religion,  which  teaches  that 
all  kings  ought  to  be  killed.  Is  it  not  so  ?  There- 
fore I  come  here,  to  the  headquarters  of  your  sect. 
If  one  of  you  will  accept  the  task,  on  that  day  I 
pay  him  in  the  money  of  this  country  one  thousand 
dollars.  On  the  day  I  hear  that  King  Humbert  is 
dead  I  pay  you  four  thousand  dollars.  Divide  it 
how  you  like ;  that  is  nothing  to  me.' 

Improbable  as  a  fairy  tale  though  all  this  sounded, 
I  could  not  resist  the  evidence  of  my  own  senses, 
which  showed  me  the  Abyssinian  envoy  there  in 
the  flesh,  I  knew,  of  course,  that  assassination  has 
always  been  one  of  the  recognised  political  methods 
of  Asiatic  and  African  States,  but  this  alliance 
between  a  half-civilised  despot  and  the  extreme 
revolutionaries  of  Europe  struck  me  as  altogether 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT  ?    139 

without  precedent  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
Certainly  my  own  experience,  fertile  as  it  naturally 
had  been  in  surprising  incidents,  had  never  brought 
to  light  a  more  singular  intrigue  than  this. 

My  position  now  became  an  extremely  difficult  one. 
I  had  practically  agreed  to  accept  the  commission 
to  assassinate  the  King  of  Italy,  but  it  was  not 
that  which  troubled  me.  I  foresaw  that  as  soon  as 
Menelik's  agent  realised  that  he  had  been  played 
with  by  me  he  would  endeavour  to  find  some  other 
and  more  trustworthy  tool.  To  denounce  him  to 
the  police  of  New  York  would  have  been  perfectly 
idle ;  in  the  first  place  he  could  buy  the  police, 
and  in  the  second  place  no  American  court  would 
punish  a  '  political '  conspiracy,  unless,  indeed,  it  were 
against  the  United  States. 

I  contented  myself  for  the  moment  with  formally 
undertaking  the  required  murder.  The  Abyssinian 
arranged  to  bring  the  first  instalment  of  the  blood 
money  to  the  watchmaker's  house  on  the  following 
Saturday  night,  and  we  all  three  parted  apparently 
on  the  best  of  terms. 

The  next  day  I  sent  off  a  long  telegraphic  de- 
spatch summarising  the  whole  situation.  The  pro- 
posal I  made  was  that  the  Italian  Government 
should  cable  me  authority  and  funds  to  enable  me 
to  have  the  Abyssinian  envoy  privately  kidnapped, 
and  returned  to  his  own  country,  vid  Massowah. 


140         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

They  had  the  incredible  folly  to  wire  instead  to 
their  Minister  in  Washington,  instructing  him  to 
demand  the  arrest  and  expulsion  of  Menelik's  agent. 

The  net  result  of  this  ill-considered  action  was  to 
flood  the  Italian  quarter  of  Jersey  City  for  several 
days  with  sham  detectives,  to  cause  a  thousand  or 
two  dollars  to  pass  into  the  pockets  of  the  local 
Tammany,  and  to  compel  me  to  hasten  my  de- 
parture for  Europe  on  my  supposed  mission,  in  order 
to  rebut  the  suspicions  of  the  Anarchists — and,  in 
fact,  to  escape  their  vengeance. 

The  night  before  my  departure  there  was  a  little 
supper  at  the  club,  at  which  the  four  were  present. 
No  open  reference  was  made  to  the  object  of  my 
journey.  But  after  supper  the  half-witted  Bresci, 
who  had  been  one  of  the  party,  asked  leave  to  walk 
home  with  me. 

'  I  wish  I  were  going  with  you,'  he  said  suddenly. 

'  I  wish  I  could  put  you  in  an  asylum,  where  you 
would  be  taken  care  of,'  was  my  thought  in  answer. 
I  said  aloud  that  I  had  reasons  for  going  alone. 

'I  know  those  reasons,'  the  enthusiast  declared. 
'  Let  me  come  with  you.     I  am  not  afraid.' 

For  a  moment  I  hesitated.  A  king's  life  was  in 
the  balance,  though  I  did  not  know  it. 

I  made  the  clever  man's  common  mistake  —  I 
underrated  the  strength  of  the  fool. 

'  Take  my  advice,'  I  said  to  Bresci,  '  leave  this  work 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT  ?   141 

to  men  like  me.  You  are  not  suited  for  it:  you 
would  betray  yourself  directly,' 

His  face  became  overcast,  and  he  relapsed  into  a 
sullen  silence  which  lasted  till  I  parted  from  him 
at  my  own  door. 

An  hour  before  stepping  on  board  the  steamer 
that  was  to  convey  me  to  Havre  I  sent  off  a  final 
wire:  'Am  leaving  to-day  for  Eurajte,  2)ledged  to  hill 
King  Humbert.' 

This  bitter  shaft  of  contempt  roused  even  the 
Italian  police  into  activity.  On  landing  at  the 
French  port  I  was  met  by  a  detective  sent  from 
Rome. 

I  took  him  with  me  to  a  hotel,  where  we  discussed 
the  situation  in  a  private  room. 

'  It  seems  to  me  that  we  are  all  right  for  the 
present,'  he  urged.  '  As  long  as  they  think  you 
are  going  to  carry  out  the  work  they  are  not  likely 
to  send  any  one  else.' 

'  Do  not  be  too  sure,'  I  answered.  '  There  is  a  lame 
watchmaker  over  there  who  docs  not  quite  trust  me.' 

'  What  do  you  propose  to  do  ? '  asked  the  detective. 

*  To  shoot  King  Humbert,'  I  replied. 

The  man  gasped  at  me  in  sheer  amazement. 

*I  am  going  to  put  you  to  a  practical  test,'  I 
explained.  '  I  am  going  to  try  and  discharge  a 
blank  cartridge  at  the  King.  If  you  can  prevent 
my  doing  so,  I  shall  hope  that  his  life  is  safe.' 


142         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  But  what  do  you  expect  us  to  do  ?  We  cannot 
arrest  you.' 

'No;  that  is  my  point.  You  know  that  I  am 
going  to  kill  your  King,  and  yet  the  law  does  not 
permit  you  to  interfere  till  you  see  me  put  my  finger 
to  the  trigger  of  my  revolver.' 

*  We  can  stop  you  at  the  frontier.' 

'  Try,'  I  said  drily. 

He  tried.     A  week  later  I  was  in  Rome. 

In  reality  I  did  not  intend  to  go  quite  so  far  as  I 
had  threatened.  To  do  so  would  have  been  offensive 
to  his  Majesty.  What  I  desired  was  to  put  the 
police  thoroughly  on  the  alert.  I  hoped  to  stimulate 
them  into  taking  precautions  which  would  be  effective 
against  a  real  assassin. 

For  I  knew  better  than  to  think  that  Menelik's 
envoy  would  go  away  satisfied  with  having  de- 
spatched me  on  the  errand  of  death.  I  did  not 
believe  the  swarthy  figure  with  the  formidable  white 
teeth  would  leave  New  York  till  he  had  received 
some  certain  assurance  of  the  success  of  his  murderous 
plans. 

Before  leaving  the  United  States  I  had  arranged 
with  my  old  employers,  Pinkerton's,  to  have  a  watch 
kept  on  all  outward-bound  vessels,  so  that  I  might 
receive  the  earliest  information  of  any  move  on  the 
part  of  the  Abyssinian.  I  had  supplied  them  with 
a  fuU  description  of  the  man. 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT?   143 

Meanwhile  the  Italian  police  did  their  best, 
hampered  as  they  were  by  the  King's  chivalrous 
disregard  of  danger,  and  his  dislike  of  surveillance. 
It  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  guard  a  monarch  against 
his  will. 

As  soon  as  I  had  satisfied  myself  that  my  disguise 
as  an  ItaHan  workman  was  impenetrable,  I  went 
northward  after  the  doomed  King.  As  my  train 
rolled  into  the  station  at  Turin,  I  caught  a  glimpse 
on  the  platform  of  a  white  face  with  long  draggled 
hair  and  a  haunted  expression  in  the  eyes — a  face 
that  I  had  last  seen  in  a  Jersey  City  slum  at  mid- 
night, more  than  a  month  ago. 

Long  before  the  train  stopped  I  had  leapt  out  of 
my  compartment  in  hot  pursuit ;  but  Bresci  had 
disappeared. 

I  went  instantly  to  the  chief  police-officer  in  Turin 
and  gave  information.  Detectives  were  despatched 
in  all  directions  to  search  the  city;  but  it  was  too 
late. 

The  following  morning  a  telegram  was  put  into 
my  hands  before  I  got  out  of  bed.  It  was  from 
Pinkerton's,  and  contained  these  words :  *  Man 
answering  description  has  just  hooked  passage  to 
Liverpool.' 

This  despatch  convinced  me  that  the  situation 
was  desperate.  Coupling  the  news  with  the  sight 
of  the  evening  before,  I  could  not  doubt  that  the 


144         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Abyssinian  agent  expected  to  hear  within  the  next 
few  hours  that  his  dreadful  end  was  achieved. 

I  dressed  in  feverish  haste  and  rushed  round  to 
the  police-office,  only  to  learn  that  no  arrest  had 
been  made,  and  Bresci  was  still  at  large. 

'  Unless  that  man  is  apprehended  within  the 
next  twenty-four  hours,  King  Humbert  will  have 
ceased  to  live,'  I  told  the  astonished  chief  of 
police. 

In  this  extremity  I  decided  to  proceed  to  Monza, 
see  the  King  myself,  and  implore  him  not  to  stir 
abroad  until  Bresci's  capture  was  notified.  That 
afternoon,  as  I  entered  the  small  town  of  Monza,  I 
was  arrested  on  suspicion  ! 

It  was  in  vain  that  I  protested,  warned,  and 
threatened.  My  demand  to  be  carried  before  King 
Humbert  was  regarded  as  a  proof  of  guilt.  My  dis- 
closure of  my  identity  was  suspected  as  a  ruse.  I 
was  confined  in  a  cell  while  telegrams  were  being 
exchanged  with  my  friend  the  Italian  detective,  and 
with  my  secretary  in  Paris. 

Suddenly,  as  I  tramped  impatiently  up  and  down 
within  my  narrow  bounds,  I  was  aware  of  a  terrible 
commotion  outside.  Men  ran  past  the  door  of  my 
prison,  curses  and  cries  were  heard,  and  there  was  a 
sound  of  bayonets  being  fixed.  Maddened  by  the 
nervous  tension,  I  battered  with  my  manacled  hands 
against  the  cell  door. 


"  ■  \\)\i  aru   free,'   he  said  briefly.      '  The  riylit  man  has  l)een  arrested, 
too  late.'  " 


WHO  REALLY  KILLED  KING  HUMBERT?    145 

It  was  flung  open  from  without,  and  an  armed 
warder  faced  me. 

'  You  are  free,'  he  said  briefly.  '  The  right  man  has 
been  arrested — too  late.* 

I  sank  down  on  the  plank  seat  and  burst  into 
tears. 


VI 

THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY 

The  readers  of  my  previous  revelations  will  have 
noticed  that  I  have  constantly  been  engaged  in 
thwarting  the  schemes  of  the  cunning  rulers  of 
Russia,  This  has  been  to  me  a  labour  of  love.  My 
father,  as  I  have  said,  was  a  native  of  Poland,  and  I 
have  avenged  his  wrongs  on  the  Government  which 
drove  him  forth  to  exile. 

I  have  already  related  how  I  exposed  and  defeated 
the  insidious  design  concealed  under  the  Peace  Re- 
script of  Nicholas  II.  Hardly  had  this  audacious 
intrigue  miscarried  when  Europe  was  startled  to 
hear  that  the  Ministers  of  the  Imperial  peacemaker 
had  overthrown  the  ancient  liberties  of  Finland,  in 
order  to  swell  the  Finnish  contingent  to  the  armies 
of  the  Tsar. 

This  time  I  admit  that  I  was  deceived,  like  every- 
body else.  The  brutal  frankness  of  the  proceeding 
disarmed  suspicion.  When  Russia  openly  declares 
herself  a  tyrant,  it  is  difficult  to  believe  she  is 
dissembling. 

146 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  147 

But  there  was  one  man  in  Europe  who  saw  that 
there  was  more  in  the  proceedings  against  Finland 
than  met  the  eye.  This  was  a  monarch  whose  genius 
and  nobility  of  character  would  have  placed  him  at 
the  head  of  living  rulers  had  he  been  born  to  the 
command  of  a  great  Power  instead  of  a  small  and 
distracted  State.  I  need  scarcely  say  that  I  refer 
to  his  Majesty,  King  Oscar  of  Sweden  and  Norway. 

It  was  with  peculiar  satisfaction  that  I  received  a 
confidential  summons  from  this  King,  whose  fine 
qualities  I  had  long  admired,  and  by  whom  I  felt 
it  a  distinction  to  be  trusted.  I  was  far  from  guess- 
ing the  real  nature  of  the  business  on  which  I  was 
to  be  employed. 

As  the  message  did  not  come  to  me  through  the 
Scandinavian  Minister  in  Paris,  but  was  a  private 
autograph  communication  from  King  Oscar  himself, 
I  was  disposed  to  think  his  Majesty  wanted  me  to 
adjust  some  family  affair.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
Bernadottes  are  not  more  free  from  such  anxieties 
than  other  royal  houses. 

On  my  arrival  at  the  beautiful  capital  of  Sweden, 
I  put  up  at  the  Hotel  Rydberg,  entering  myself  as 
the  Baron  de  Neuville,  on  tour.  The  same  evening 
I  was  called  upon  by  one  of  the  King's  intimate 
friends,  the  Count  Soderhielm,  who  took  me  across 
to  the  Palace,  and  introduced  me  into  King  Oscar's 
private  cabinet. 


148         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  noticed  as  we  crossed  the  Place  Gustavus 
Adolplius  that  the  flag  was  not  hoisted  on  the 
Palace.  His  Majesty  was  supposed  to  be  at  Drott- 
ningholm,  from  which  place  he  had  come  secretly 
in  a  small  launch  for  the  purpose  of  our  interview. 

As  soon  as  Count  Soderhielm  had  presented  me 
to  his  Majesty,  he  retired  to  the  antechamber, 
leaving  us  together. 

'  Perhaps  you  are  wondering  what  I  have  sent  for 
you  to  do  ? '  King  Oscar  began. 

'  At  least,  I  do  not  doubt  that  any  service  on  which 
your  Majesty  employs  me  will  be  an  honourable 
one,'  I  answered  respectfully. 

The  King  smiled. 

'  I  have  not  sent  for  you  to  pay  me  compliments,' 
he  said  rebukingly.  '  Let  me  first  ask  if  it  is  true 
that  you  are  no  friend  to  the  Russian  Government  ? ' 

I  looked  at  the  King  in  some  surprise. 

*  It  is  better  for  me  to  tell  you,  sire,  that  I  do  not 
allow  my  private  feelings  to  enter  into  my  work. 
The  Russian  Government  has  employed  me  before 
now,  and  may  do  so  again ;  in  which  case  I  should 
serve  it  as  loyally  as  I  hope  to  do  your  Majesty.' 

The  King  did  not  seem  ill-pleased  by  this  frank- 
ness. 

'  I  respect  you  for  that  answer,'  he  said  graciously. 
'  I  ought  not  to  Iiave  asked  you  for  your  personal 
confidence.' 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  149 

*  I  am  a  Pole  by  my  father's  side,  sire,'  I  threw  in. 
King  Oscar  thanked  me  for  this  hint  by  a  nod. 
'Let  us  come  to  business.     You  have  taken  note, 

I  expect,  of  this  determination  to  Russianise  Fin- 
land ? ' 

I  bowed,  restraining  my  curiosity  at  this  un- 
expected opening. 

'  You  know  that  Finland  is  an  ancient  province  of 
the  Swedish  Crown,  and  that  when  it  was  united  to 
Russia,  after  the  fall  of  Napoleon,  my  ancestor,  the 
then  Crown  Prince  Bernadotte,  was  authorised  to 
take  Norway  as  a  compensation  ? ' 

*  I  do,  sire.' 

'Perhaps  you  know  also  that  the  exchange  has 
been  a  disastrous  one  for  Sweden.  The  Finns  were 
contented  and  happy  under  our  rule,  while  the 
Norwegians  have  done  nothing  but  quarrel  with  the 
Swedes  for  a  century.' 

'  I  have  heard  something  of  this,'  I  responded. 

'Now  as  long  as  Finland  held  the  position  of  a 
semi-independent  State,  over  which  the  Tsar  ruled 
as  Grand  Duke  of  Finland,  it  was  possible  for  us  to 
regard  her  as  a  buffer  between  us  and  Russia.  We 
bad  every  reason  to  hope  that  if  the  Russians  wished 
to  attack  us,  they  would  have  to  subdue  Finland 
first.' 

'  I  was  hardly  aware  of  that,  sire.* 

'  It  is  the  fact.     The  Finnish  civilisation  is  really 


150         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Swedish,  our  language  is  spoken  there,  and  the 
Swedish  element  in  the  population  looks  on  Sweden 
as  its  real  home.  Very  good.  That  being  so,  the 
Russians  have  decided  to  conquer  Finland  in  time 
of  peace,  under  the  cloak  of  administrative  measures.' 

'Your  Majesty  means  that  this  attack  on  Finland 
is  really  an  attack  on  Sweden  and  Norway  ? ' 

'  It  is  the  first  step  towards  an  attack  on  Sweden,' 
King  Oscar  answered,  with  significance.  '  The  ques- 
tion of  Norway  is  the  matter  about  which  I  have 
sent  for  you.' 

I  gazed  at  the  King  in  astonishment. 

'  I  am  the  King  of  Norway  as  well  as  of  Sweden,' 
his  Majesty  pursued,  '  and  you  must  not  think  I 
favour  one  country  more  than  the  other.  But  I 
might  as  well  be  King  at  the  same  time  of  France 
and  Germany,  for  any  real  harmony  there  is  between 
the  two  countries.  The  Norwegians  are  working 
for  absolute  separation ;  the  Swedes  will  grant  them 
everything  except  the  right  to  make  war  on  Sweden ; 
and  yet  they  cannot  agree.' 

'  You  fear,  sire,  that  the  Norwegians  will  fight  in 
order  to  secure  their  independence.' 

'  I  fear  it  is  rather  the  other  way  about,'  the  King 
answered  sorrowfully.  '  They  aim  at  independence 
in  order  to  be  able  to  fight.  You  see  me  in  the 
position  of  a  father  whose  two  children  are  ready  to 
rush  at  one  another's  throats,  and  who  cannot  show 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  151 

kindness  to  one  without  incurring  the  hatred  of  the 
other.  This  situation  has  poisoned  the  peace  of 
mind  of  every  sovereign  of  Scandinavia  for  a  hundred 
years.     It  broke  my  grandfather's  heart.' 

I  listened  to  this  sad  confession  with  respectful 
sympathy.     King  Oscar  proceeded — 

'Let  me  tell  you  some  more.  Before  the  last 
Russo-Turkish  war,  the  geography  of  the  Balkans 
had  been  made  for  a  year  the  special  study  of  the 
Military  School  in  Petersburg.  Last  month  the 
geography  of  Scandinavia  was  given  a  similar  pre- 
cedence. That  is  not  all.  A  swarm  of  Russian 
officers,  disguised  as  woodcutters,  have  been  coming 
over  the  northern  frontier,  and  making  their  way 
down  through  Sweden,  surveying  the  country  as 
they  go.' 

'  Surely  they  can  be  arrested  as  spies ! ' 

*We  dare  not,'  was  the  response.  'That  would 
be  forcing  Russia's  hand.  We  can  only  watch,  and 
await  developments.' 

'  The  Germans  ought  to  know  of  this,'  I  ventured 
to  remark. 

'  The  Germans  are  more  afraid  of  Russia  than  we 
are,'  the  King  answered.  '  Germany  is  no  longer  a 
first-class  Power.  There  are  in  fact  only  four  Powers 
of  the  first  magnitude  to-day,  Great  Britain,  Russia, 
the  United  States,  and  China.  The  two  English 
Powers  together  could  dictate  to  the  world,  but  they 


152         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

are  divided  by  the  childish  American  jealousy. 
China  is  still  asleep.  Consequently  all  the  other 
Powers  of  Europe  are  little  more  than  vassals  of 
the  Tsar.  France  has  openly  placed  herself  under 
his  protection.  Austria  has  become  Russia's  junior 
partner  in  the  Balkans.  The  independence  of 
Germany  is  only  nominal;  the  Emperor  takes  his 
time  from  Petersburg.     No  other  country  counts.' 

It  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  heard  the  situation 
summed  up  with  such  pitiless  plainness. 

'  You  consider,  then,  that  Russia  is  actually  about 
to  draw  the  sword  ? '  I  asked. 

'No,  she  will  leave  us  to  do  that.  Russia  has 
discovered  that  her  conquests  advance  better  under 
the  cloak  of  peace.  She  means  to  take  Norway 
under  cover  of  a  declaration  in  favour  of  Norwegian 
independence.' 

'But  the  Norwegians — are  they  mad  enough  to 
become  parties  to  that  ?  Do  they  want  to  exchange 
King  Log  for  King  Stork  ? ' 

'  Go  and  see,'  was  King  Oscar's  reply. 

I  quitted  his  Majesty's  presence,  and  returned  to 
my  hotel,  deeply  disturbed  by  what  I  had  heard. 
I  could  not  suppose  that  the  most  sagacious  sovereign 
in  Europe  was  indulging  in  idle  fears.  Yet  it  was 
hard  to  believe  that  the  inhabitants  of  a  free, 
self-governing  country  would  voluntarily  exchange 
their  condition  for  servitude  to  the  Asiatic  despotism 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  153 

which  had   just    laid    Finland    prostrate   at    their 
door. 

Three  days  afterwards  I  arrived  in  Christiania. 
I  had  made  careful  preparations  for  the  task  before 
me.  I  assumed  the  character  of  a  Russian  spy,  as 
the  least  likely  to  provoke  suspicion  of  the  quarter 
from  which  I  really  came.  And  I  had  disguised 
my  person  as  effectively  as  I  knew  how,  lest  I 
should  meet  a  real  agent  of  the  Tsar's  Government, 

who  might  detect  A V beneath  the  outward 

semblance  of  Alexander  Volkuski. 

The  pains  I  had  taken  were  well  rewarded.  In 
the  hotel  in  which  I  put  up  I  found  staying  a  man 
who  passed  as  a  Finnish  officer,  of  Swedish  nation- 
ality, but  whom  I  immediately  recognised  as  Count 
Marloff,  the  confidential  right-hand  man  of  M.  de 
Witte  himself  It  is  true  the  Russian  was  disguised, 
and  the  disguise  was  a  very  good  one,  but  by  an 
almost  incredible  oversight  he  had  ventured  to 
assume  that  a  disguise  which  had  already  done  duty 
once  might  safely  be  used  again. 

It  was  seven  years  before,  in  Teheran,  that  I  had 
seen  that  reddish  wig  and  noted  that  peculiar  limp, 
but  if  Count  Marloff  had  offered  me  his  card  I 
could  not  have  been  more  sure  of  his  identity. 
Such  mistakes  may  be  pardonable  in  a  mere  detective, 
but  they  are  fatal  in  our  profession. 

My  tactics  were  soon  decided  on.     I  knew  that 


154         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

the  attention  of  '  Colonel  Sigersen '  would  be  quickly 
attracted  to  a  Russian  staying  in  Christiania,  and 
I  have  generally  found  the  boldest  game  to  be  the 
most  successful. 

I  seized  the  first  opportunity  of  the  Count's  being 
seated  alone  in  the  smoking-room  of  the  hotel,  to 
go  up  to  him  boldly. 

'How  do  you  do,  Count?'  I  said  in  Russian. 
'  Or  perhaps  you  will  wish  me  to  say  "  Colonel "  ? ' 

Marloff  started,  as  well  he  might,  and  stared  hard 
into  my  face. 

'My  name  is  Colonel  Sigersen,'  he  said  forbid- 
dingly. '  Have  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you 
before  ? ' 

This  was  the  opening  I  wanted.  I  drew  back 
disdainfully. 

*  I  must  apologise,'  I  said,  with  irony ;  '  I  have  not 
had  the  honour  of  meeting  you,  Colonel  Sigersen. 
Pray  do  not  think  I  wish  to  intrude  on  you.' 

Marloff  saw  his  mistake.  In  the  secret  service 
of  Russia  nothing  is  more  common  than  for  two 
different  agents  to  be  employed  independently  of 
each  other,  and  even  as  spies  upon  each  other. 
When  that  happens,  if  the  two  men  are  wise, 
they  strike  up  a  private  alliance,  and  compare 
notes  at  their  employers'  expense.  When  they 
keep  each  other  at  arm's  length,  each  has  it  in 
his  power  to  cause  annoyance  to  the  other. 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  155 

MarloflF  was  now  in  the  position  of  having  refused 
my  overture  towards  friendship,  without  knowing 
who  I  was.  This  left  me  free  to  watch  him,  without 
rendering  any  explanations.  He  was  consequently 
furious  with  himself. 

The  fact  is  the  man  was  a  mere  amateur,  as  one 
who  drops  into  a  profession  from  above  generally  is. 
De  Witte  had  taken  him  out  of  a  cavalry  regiment, 
and  made  a  diplomatist  of  him ;  but  when  it  came  to 
secret  service  work  he  was  a  child  in  the  hands  of  a 
man  like  myself 

I  saw  the  pretended  Colonel  get  up  and  limp  out 
of  the  room,  no  doubt  to  send  a  cipher  despatch  to 
the  Minister,  complaining  of  my  arrival.  I  went  to 
the  manager  of  the  hotel,  introduced  myself  as  a 
Russian  police  agent  on  the  track  of  a  great  rouble 
forgery,  and  wormed  out  of  him  a  mass  of  particulars 
with  regard  to  Sigerscn's  movements. 

I  gathered  that  he  had  been  in  Christiania  about  a 
month,  having  toured  through  Norway  first  as  far 
north  as  Trondhjem.  He  had  made  numerous 
friends  in  the  Norwegian  capital,  including  several 
prominent  members  of  the  Storthing,  as  they  call 
their  parliament.     But  his  chosen  intimate  appeared 

to  be  a  judge  named  ,  who  was  regarded  as  a 

guiding  spirit  of  the  party  most  strongly  hostile  to 
the  Swedish  connection. 

It  was  Judge who  had  prompted  the  erection 


156         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

of  a  fortress  on  the  Swedish-Norwegian  frontier, 
guarding  the  approach  to  Christiania.  The  same 
warlike  functionary  had  decided  on  the  judicial  bench 
that  no  native  of  Sweden  could  exercise  the  rights 
of  a  citizen  in  Norway  until  he  had  taken  out  letters 
of  naturalisation.  In  short,  this  judge  had  carefully 
taught  his  countrymen  to  treat  the  Swedes  as  English- 
men were  treated  by  the  Boers  in  the  days  of  the 
Transvaal  Republic. 

All  this  was  nothing  more  than  I  had  been  pre- 
pared for  by  King  Oscar.  The  task  now  before  me 
was  to  ascertain  if  possible  what  was  the  nature  of 

the  understanding  between  Judge and  the  agent 

of  the  Russian  Government. 
I  asked  the  hotel  manager — 
'  How  does  Colonel  Sigersen  pay  your  bill  ? ' 
'  By  cheque/  was  the  ready  answer.     '  By  cheque 
on  the  Bergen  and  Christiania  Bank.' 

'  Is  it  usual  for  foreign  visitors  to  have  a  banking 
account  open  in  Christiania  ? '  I  inquired,  keeping  up 
the  part  of  a  detective. 

The  manager  admitted  it  was  not.  Evidently,  now 
I  had  drawn  his  attention  to  the  point,  it  struck  him 
as  suspicious.  I  left  him,  feeling  that  I  had  secured 
an  ally  in  my  watch  on  Marloff,  and  made  my  way  to 
the  offices  of  the  bank. 

The  director  of  this  institution  received  me  with 
every  courtesy.     Bankers  are  too   often  victimised 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  157 

for  them  to  regard  the  police  with  any  feeling  but 
gratitude.  The  tale  I  brought  was  received  with 
open  ears. 

'  I  have  reason  to  think  that  an  account  has  been 
opened  with  you  for  purposes  of  fraud.  If  I  am 
right,  the  swindlers  have  endeavoured  to  gain  your 
confidence  at  the  outset  by  a  large  credit.  This 
credit  has  been  opened  in  the  name  of  Colonel 
Sigersen,  a  pretended  Finlander.' 

The  manager  was  visibly  alarmed. 

'  A  gentleman  of  that  name  has  opened  an  account 
with  us,  certainly,'  he  answered  cautiously.  '  But  he 
brought  the  very  best  introductions.  In  fact  I  could 
not  have  asked  for  better.' 

'  Have  you  any  objection  to  tell  me  the  character 
of  those  introductions  ? ' 

'  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  one  was  from 
a  well-known  citizen,  a  man  in  a  very  responsible 
position.' 

'  In  short,  Judge ?  * 

The  manager  started. 

'  How  did  you  know  that  ? '  he  demanded. 

'I  have  been  on  Colonel  Sigersen's  track  for  a 
long  time,'  I  answered  evasively.  'I  venture  to 
think   that    if    you   make   inquiries,  you   will   find 

that  his  Honour,  Judge knows  very  little  about 

him  really,  and  nothing  at  all  about  his  financial 
standing.' 


158         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  I  will  communicate  with  his  Honour,  and  let  you 
know  the  result.' 

'  Do  so,  by  all  means.  In  the  meanwhile,  perhaps, 
you  may  be  willing  to  tell  me  how  this  man's  credit 
is  supplied  ? ' 

The  manager  hesitated. 

'I  hardly  know  whether  I  ought  to  betray  his 
affairs  until  I  have  something  more  to  go  upon.' 

'  Perhaps  you  will  let  me  ask  you  if  Sigersen  has 
yet  made  a  large  payment  in  rouble  notes  ? ' 

*  I  can  answer  that — no.' 

'  Then  I  think  you  may  be  safe  for  the  present,' 
I  said.  '  When  he  does,  I  advise  you  to  pass  them 
on  to  your  Russian  correspondents  as  quickly  as 
possible.' 

This  shot  told.  The  manager  became  very  uneasy. 
By  degrees  I  worked  on  his  fears  till  he  invited  me 
to  examine  his  ledger.  I  did  so,  and  found  that 
Marloff  had  brought  a  heavy  credit  from  a  Peters- 
burg bank,  and,  what  was  more  to  my  purpose, 
had  drawn  several  heavy  cheques  to  the  order  of 
Judge . 

'  So  far  you  seem  to  be  on  the  safe  side,'  I  com- 
mented as  I  finished  my  inspection.  'But  I  have 
two  pieces  of  advice  to  give  you.  On  no  account  let 
this  man  overdraw  his  ascertained  credit,  and  do  not 
honour  any  cheques  drawn  against  rouble  notes  till 
you  hear  from  me  again.' 


],el  me  see  your  warrant,'  I  said." 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  159 

The  manager  thanked  me,  and  allowed  me  to 
depart. 

I  had  now  to  consider  the  best  way  in  which  to 
approach  the  judge,  who  was  not  likely  to  prove 
easily  gullible,  as  it  was  fairly  certain  that  Marloff 
and  he  were  in  each  other's  confidence. 

But  I  had  underrated  the  Russian's  resources.  On 
re-entering  my  hotel  I  was  accosted  by  a  man  in  the 
uniform  of  the  Norwegian  police,  who  informed  me 
that  he  held  a  warrant  for  my  arrest. 

'  On  what  charge  ? '  I  demanded,  as  soon  as  I 
had  recovered  from  my  first  surprise. 

*  On  a  charge  of  conspiracy  against  the  Government 
of  Norway,'  was  the  answer. 

*I  arrived  in  Norway  only  yesterday,'  I  ex- 
claimed. 

'  All  that  you  can  tell  to  the  judge,'  retorted  the 
police  officer. 

'  Let  me  see  your  warrant,'  I  said. 

The  man  produced  the  paper,  while  the  hotel 
manager,  who  had  arrived  on  the  scene,  looked  on 
astonished,  as  he  well  might. 

The  warrant  bore  the  signature  of  Judge . 

'Take  me  to  the  judge  instantly,  if  you  will  be  so 
good,'  I  said. 

'  I  am  going  to,'  the  officer  returned. 

He  made  no  attempt  to  secure  me,  probably  having 
had  his  instructions.     We  walked  together  to  the 


160         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

judge's  house;  he  appeared  to  combine  the  functions 
of  a  judge  and  committing  magistrate ;  and  I  was 
conducted  into  a  room  evidently  used  for  the 
examination  of  prisoners. 

Judge entered  immediately,  and  we  exchanged 

scrutinising  glances.  The  leader  of  the  anti-Swedish 
party  was  a  young  man,  still  on  the  right  side  of 
forty,  with  a  very  determined  countenance,  and  a 
look  about  which  there  was  nothing  furtive  or  em- 
barrassed. It  was  not  an  intellectual  face.  I  put  the 
man  down  as  a  strong-willed,  ambitious  intriguer, 
with  courage,  but  not  very  much  disinterested 
patriotism. 

'  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  preposterous  arrest  ? ' 
I  demanded,  with  warmth. 

'This  is  an  affair  of  State;  I  will  examine  the 
accused  in  private,'  the  judge  announced,  not  answer- 
ing me  directly. 

As  soon  as  the  room  was  cleared,  he  turned  to 
me. 

'  Who  are  you  ? '  was  his  first  question. 

*  I  am  a  Russian,'  I  answered. 

*  I  know  that.     What  is  your  business  here  ?  * 

I  breathed  again.  I  now  knew  that  Marloff  had 
failed  to  guess  my  identity. 

'  I  have  come  here  on  the  track  of  certain  forgers,' 
I  began,  and  went  on  to  tell  the  story  I  had  given  to 
the  hotel  manager  and  the  banker. 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  161 

Judge listened  incredulously. 

'  I  do  not  believe  a  word  you  have  said,'  he  declared. 
*  Show  me  your  papers.' 

I  produced  the  passport  and  credentials  from  the 
Russian  police  with  which  I  had  been  careful  to 
provide  myself     They  were,  of  course,  forged. 

'  I  will  retain  these  and  ascertain  if  they  are  genu- 
ine,' the  judge  observed. 

'  Your  Honour  means  that  you  will  submit  them 
to  the  suspected  man,'  I  returned  boldly. 

'  How  dare  you  say  that  ?  How  dare  you  call ' — he 
hesitated  for  a  second — '  Colonel  Sigersen  a  suspected 
man  ?     You  know  perfectly  well  who  he  is.' 

'  I  know  him  to  be  the  most  skilful  forger  in  Russia,' 
I  answered,  not  quite  untruthfully. 

Judge  glared  at  me  as  if  he  would  like  to 

have  struck  me, 

'  What  nonsense !     You  know  his  real  name.' 

'What  difference  does  that  make,  your  Honour?' 

'  You  know  he  is  a  man  in  high  position,  in  the 
confidence  of  his  Government.' 

'  I  know  he  was,  till  recently.  I  have  no  doubt  he 
is  capable  of  pretending  he  is  still.' 

The  judge  was  plainly  disconcerted  by  the  line  I 
was  taking.  He  had  hoped,  no  doubt,  that  I  should 
meet  him  half  way. 

'  On  your  arrival  here  you  recognised  the  Count, 
and  greeted  him.     He  rebuffed  you,  as  he  had  a  per- 

L 


1G2         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

feet  right  to  do,  and  denounced  you  to  me  as  a  spy. 
It  is  too  late  for  you  to  turn  round  and  pretend  that 
he  is  a  criminal.  It  is  you  who  are  on  your  defence, 
not  he.' 

*  Your  Honour  has  been  imposed  upon.  But  it  is 
of  no  consequence.  Tell  me  what  I  am  charged  with, 
and  I  will  defend  myself 

'  You  are  a  spy.' 

'  In  a  sense  that  is  true.     I  am  a  detective.' 

'  By  whom  are  you  employed  ? ' 

'  Your  Honour  has  my  papers.' 

The  judge  bit  his  lip.  He  clearly  did  not  know 
how  to  proceed.  I,  of  course,  could  see  that  it  was 
not  his  game  to  bring  me  to  a  public  trial. 

'  It  seems  to  me,  sir,  that  it  is  a  mistake  for  us  to 
quarrel,'  I  said  after  giving  him  a  minute  for  reflec- 
tion. '  If  I  have  annoyed  Count  MarloflF  by  recognis- 
ing him,  that  is  not  an  offence  against  the  law  of 
Norway,  I  presume.  On  the  other  hand,  if  I  am 
right  in  my  conjectures,  or  rather  my  instructions, 
the  Count  himself  should  be  the  last  man  to  provoke 
a  public  inquiry  into  his  business  here.  Your  Hon- 
our knows  the  law  better  than  I,  but  I  should  have 
thought  there  might  be  something  in  the  business 
transacted  between  you  and  the  Count  which  would 
not  look  well ' 

He  interrupted  me. 

*  I  want  to  know  why  you  are  here.     If  you  are  a 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  163 

friend,  of  course  there  is  no  need  to  quarrel.  If 
not ' — he  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

*  I  came  as  a  friend/  I  replied.  '  I  came  prepared 
to  co-operate  with  you,  to  assist  you,  in  fact.  But  I 
must  first  know  how  you  stand  with  regard  to  Marloff. 
Is  he  your  personal  friend,  or  are  the  relations  be- 
tween you  exclusively  political  ? ' 

'I  have  no  personal  feeling  for  him,'  was  the 
guarded  answer. 

'  Very  good.  In  that  case  your  Honour  shall  see 
my  real  credentials,  I  must  tell  you  frankly  that 
Count  Marloff  has  ceased  to  enjoy  the  implicit  con- 
fidence of  his  and  my  Government.' 

I  put  my  hand  into  an  inner  pocket,  and  produced 
a  shp  of  paper  in  the  forged  handwriting  of  the 
Russian  Foreign  Minister. 

'Does  your  Honour  recognise  that  writing?'  I 
asked,  with  a  confident  air. 

Judge was  completely  deceived.     He  glanced 

at  the  few  lines,  which  were  in  French,  with  an  air 
of  the  greatest  respect.     Then  he  looked  at  me. 

'  I  must  apologise,  Prince '  he  began,  when  I 

raised  a  warning  finger. 

'  Hush  1    Not  my  real  name,  please.' 

I  took  back  the  paper  with  an  air  as  if  my  life 
depended  on  its  preservation,  and  restored  it  to  my 
pocket. 

'  I  am  exceedingly  sorry  to  have  had  to  show  you 


164         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

this,'  I  said  gravely.  'I  have,  in  fact,  exceeded  my 
instructions,  which  were  simply  to  watch  Count 
Marloff  and  report  on  the  progress  he  was  making. 
His  own  violent  action  has  forced  me  to  go  further 
than  I  wished.  I  am  sorry  to  say  it  confirms  the 
suspicion  entertained  in  the  Foreign  Office  that  he  is 
playing  a  double  game.  He  is  a  protdgd  of  M.  de 
Witte's,  but  M.  de  Witte  is  not  infallible. 

'  Now  I  am  afraid  I  must  ask  your  Honour  to  take 
me  into  your  confidence.  I  trust  you  have  not  put 
yourself  into  Marloff's  power  ?  I  know  that  he  has 
paid  you  considerable  sums.' 

Judge looked  decidedly  nervous. 

'  I  have  given  him  nothing  in  writing,  I  believe,'  he 
answered,  glancing  at  the  same  time  at  an  iron  safe 
let  into  the  wall  of  the  room. 

'  So  far,  so  good.  It  is  writing  that  counts  in  these 
affairs.  Have  you  any  objection  to  my  seeing  the 
memoranda  you  have  made  of  your  conversations 
with  him  ? ' 

The  judge  stared  at  me  as  if  I  had  been  a  wizard. 

'  I  don't  know  what  makes  you  think  I  have  taken 
any  memoranda,'  he  protested. 

'Just  as  you  please,  sir,'  I  said  drily.  *I  should 
have  been  gratified  if  you  had  so  far  confided  in  me 
as  to  let  me  glance  inside  that  safe.  But  you  are 
right  to  be  cautious.' 

His  eyes  turned  once  more  in  the  direction  of  the 


He  liLlil  h>iu;ir'l  to  llstrii.  aipl 


•  l\'\    -,..    I    i;i:iu.  ImmI    niv   t  U-nclicd 


fist  at  his  riglil  tuniplu  \\itli  my  full  f^m.-.' 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  165 

safe,  in  spite  of  himself.     I  saw  a  struggle  going  on 
in  his  mind. 

'  There  is  no  necessity  for  you  to  decide  hastily,'  I 
said  in  my  blandest  tones.  '  I  am  as  anxious  as  you 
are  that  you  should  have  every  possible  security.  If 
you  are  so  far  satisfied  as  to  release  me  from  arrest, 
we  can  sit  down  and  talk  over  things  quietly.' 

This  hint  had  the  desired  effect.  The  judge  called 
in  the  policeman,  and  informed  him  that  his  services 
were  no  longer  required. 

As  soon  as  I  heard  the  outer  door  of  the  buildinsr 
clang  to  on  the  departing  officer,  I  drew  nearer  the 
judge,  lowering  my  voice  to  a  confidential  whisper, 
as  I  said — 

'  Now  you  shall  have  the  truth.' 

He  bent  forward  to  listen,  and  as  he  did  so  I 
launched  my  clenched  fist  at  his  right  temple  with 
my  full  force,  and  he  dropped  senseless  without  so 
much  as  a  sigh. 

The  moment  I  was  satisfied  that  he  was  uncon- 
scious I  stepped  to  the  door  and  locked  it.  Then  I 
rifled  his  pocket  of  his  bunch  of  keys,  picked  out  the 
right  one,  and  opened  the  safe,  all  without  drawing 
breath. 

Tlie  contents  of  the  safe  were  chiefly  official  law 
papers,  which  I  did  not  waste  time  over.  But  in  a 
narrow  tray  at  the  top  I  found  something  that  inter- 
ested me  more. 


166         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

It  was  nothing  less  than  a  draft  treaty — a  treaty  to 
be  made  between  the  Norwegian  Ministry,  acting 
without  the  knowledge  of  their  King,  and  the 
Imperial  Government  of  Russia ! 

I  did  not  stay  to  read  the  document  through. 
After  a  hasty  look  to  make  sure  I  was  leaving  nothing 
else  of  importance  behind,  I  locked  the  safe,  drew  off 
its  key  from  the  bunch,  and  dropped  the  other  keys 
on  the  floor  beside  the  stunned  man,  slipped  quietly 
out  of  the  room  and  out  of  the  house. 

Instead  of  returning  to  my  hotel,  I  made  my  way 
down  to  the  harbour — I  did  not  dare  to  risk  trying 
to  get  a  train.  In  the  harbour  I  hired  a  small  fish- 
ing-boat with  a  sail,  and  put  straight  out  to  sea.  It 
was  on  the  tossing  waters  of  the  Cattegat  by  moon- 
light that  I  took  in  the  provisions  of  the  extraordinary 
compact  between  the  Norwegian  conspirators  and 
their  Imperial  ally. 

The  document  had  been  carefully  drawn  up,  evi- 
dently with  an  eye  to  the  public  opinion  of  Europe, 
which  would  naturally  be  scandalised  by  an  alliance 
between  the  great  Slave  despotism  and  a  Teutonic 
commonwealth. 

The  treaty  began  by  reciting  that  the  Union 
between  Sweden  and  Norway  had  been  forced  on  the 
Norwegians  against  their  will,  by  the  Swedes  aided 
by  Russia's  authority.  It  went  on  to  state  that  the 
Union  had  failed  to  benefit  either  country,  and  that 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  1G7 

Russia  had  consented  to  undo  her  past  injury  to 
Norway  by  helping  her  to  annul  the  bond. 

Then  followed  the  particulars  of  the  aid  to  be 
rendered.  Norway  pledged  herself  not  to  make  any 
open  move  till  the  signal  was  given  from  Petersburg, 
which  was  to  be  as  soon  as  Finland  had  settled  down 
into  the  condition  of  a  Russian  province.  In  the 
meantime  the  Norwegians  were  to  strengthen  them- 
selves in  every  possible  way,  and  to  keep  up  a  steady 
pressure  of  agitation  against  Sweden. 

As  soon  as  all  was  ready,  the  Norwegian  Storthing 
was  to  meet  in  secret  session  and  proclaim  Norway  a 
free  and  independent  Republic,  under  the  protection 
of  the  Tsar,  and  mass  her  troops  on  the  frontier. 
Two  Russian  Army  Corps  were  to  be  ready  in  Fin- 
land, on  the  pretext  of  manoeuvres,  and  these  were 
to  be  hurled  across  the  frontier  to  the  north  of  the 
Gulf  of  Bothnia.  At  the  same  time  the  Russian 
fleet  was  to  cross  the  Baltic,  occupy  the  island  of 
Gothland,  and  blockade  Stockholm  and  the  Swedish 
ports. 

All  those  measures  were  to  be  taken  merely  as 
precautions.  If  the  Swedes  accepted  the  inevitable, 
the  Russians  were  to  retire  again.  If  the  Swedes 
took  up  arms,  war  was  to  be  declared,  and  Russia 
was  to  annex  Gothland  to  her  Empire,  the  Nor- 
wegians receiving  territory  in  the  north. 

And  what  was  the  price  which  the  Tsar  was  to 


168  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

receive  for  this  mighty  demonstration  ?  It  was  not 
a  nominal  one.  The  Norwegian  Republic  bound 
itself  to  grant  to  his  Imperial  Majesty  a  lease  for 
twenty-five  years — that  is  to  say,  for  ever — of  a 
warm-water  port  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  to  be  used 
as  a  depot  and  coaling  station  for  the  Russian  Fleet. 

It  was  the  dream  of  six  generations  of  Muscovite 
statesmen  realised  at  last.  Russia,  with  one  foot  on 
the  Atlantic  and  another  on  the  Pacific,  would 
dominate  the  Old  World. 

All  that  night  the  fishing-boat  carried  me  along  in 
the  track  of  the  Baltic  steamers.  At  dawn  I  boarded 
an  English  packet  going  into  Gothenburg,  and  thirty- 
six  hours  later  I  stood  again  in  King  Oscar's  cabinet, 
and  placed  the  treaty  in  his  hands. 

I  watched  the  brave  monarch  read  it  through  from 
beginning  to  end  without  one  manifestation  of  dismay 
or  even  of  indignation. 

'  My  poor  subjects ! '  was  his  sole  remark  as  he 
raised  his  eyes  at  the  end.  'They  little  know  the 
fate  they  are  preparing  for  their  children.* 

I  asked  if  his  Majesty  had  any  further  instructions 
for  me.     To  my  surprise  he  answered, '  Yes.' 

'  There  is  only  one  quarter  to  which  I  can  look  for 
aid,'  he  said,  'and  that  is  England.  Germany  is  a 
broken  reed.  Go  to  England,  take  this  document 
with  you,  show  it  to  the  principal  members  of  the 
Government,  telling  them   how  it  came  into  your 


I  watched  the  lir.ive  moiiarcli  read  it  throut^li  from  hcj^inning  to 
end  uithoiit  one  manifestation  of  dismay." 


THE  PERIL  OF  NORWAY  169 

hands,  and  ask  them  if  they  wish  to  see  a  Russian 
Cherbourg  Avithin  twelve  hours  of  the  Scottish 
coast.  If  they  remain  indifferent,  I  can  do  nothing 
more.' 

'  The  EngHsh  Press  ? '  I  suggested  doubtfully. 

•  The  Norwegians  have  captured  it,  I  fear,'  objected 
his  Majesty.  '  Norway  is  the  playground  of  the 
British  tourist;  and,  besides,  the  English  consider 
themselves  half  Norwegian  by  race.  No,  popular 
sentiment  in  Great  Britain  is  on  the  side  of  Norway.' 

*  Nevertheless,  sire,  if  thoughtful  Englishmen  could 
be  made  to  realise  that,  for  the  sake  of  pique — for  a 
mere  whim — the  Norwegians  were  about  to  place 
the  keys  of  the  Atlantic  in  the  hands  of  Britain's 
most  formidable  foe,  they  might  make  their  influence 
felt.' 

'  Do  what  you  think  best,  M.  V. ,'  the  King  said 

wearily.  *  I  am  getting  an  old  man,  and  I  wish  for 
peace.' 

I  have  ventured  to  take  his  Majesty  at  his  word. 


VII 

THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS 

Some  two  or  three  years  back — that  is,  shortly 
before  the  great  Boxer  rising  in  China — the  careless 
Parisians  were  amused  to  hear  of  the  existence  in 
their  midst  of  an  association  styling  itself  the  Com- 
pany of  the  Joyous  Peach  Blossom. 

This  body  professed  to  be  a  literary  guild  or 
brotherhood  formed  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the 
Chinese  poets,  and  transplanting  some  of  the  poetical 
flowers  of  the  East  into  the  garden  of  Western 
literature.  All  this  sounded  a  trifle  fantastic,  and 
Paris,  accustomed  to  the  caprices  of  its  youthful 
literary  coteries,  shrugged  its  shoulders  and  asked 
with  a  smile  whether  the  guild  possessed  more  than 
two  members  in  all,  or  whether  it  were  not  a 
pure  myth,  and  the  Company  of  the  Joyous  Peach 
Blossom  a  device  of  some  budding  poet,  anxious  to 
seek  notoriety. 

The  announcement  of  the  guild's  existence  struck 
me  in  a  different  light.  Having  made  a  profound 
study  for  many  years  of  secret  societies,  past   and 

170 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS    171 

present,  I  had  grasped  the  fact  that  China  is  the 
one  land  in  which  such  societies  are  truly  formid- 
able, all  the  most  famous  secret  societies  of  Europe 
being  mere  trifles  compared  with  the  terrible  con- 
spiracies which  honeycomb  the  Heavenly  Kingdom. 

I  had  learned,  moreover,  that  the  most  powerful 
and  reckless  of  these  Chinese  societies  assumed  the 
most  innocent  and  poetical  names,  as,  for  example, 
the  dreaded  brotherhood  of  the  Waterlily,  which 
deluged  Southern  China  in  blood  forty  years 
ago. 

Therefore,  while  the  French  police,  usually  so 
shrewd  in  dealing  with  secret  political  organisations, 
did  not  deem  the  Company  of  the  Joyous  Peach 
Blossom  worth  a  moment's  consideration,  I  set  to 
work  to  find  out  all  I  could  about  it. 

I  was  not  long  in  discovering  that  the  guild  was 
more  than  the  eccentric  imagination  of  a  Quartier 
Latin  poet.  To  begin  with,  I  found  that  similar 
societies,  bearing  names  of  an  equally  fantastic 
nature,  had  simultaneously  come  into  existence  in 
London,  BerUn,  New  York,  and  Chicago,  and  that 
all  these  bodies  were  in  correspondence  with  one 
another. 

I  found,  further,  that  the  members  of  the  Parisian 
society  were  in  communication  with  a  retired  French 
diplomatist  of  singular  character,  a  man  who  had 
returned  from  a  ten  years'  sojourn  in  Pekin,  steeped 


172         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

to  the  Hps  in  Chinese  ideas,  and  a  professed  follower 
of  Khung  the  Master,  or  Confucius,  as  he  is  called  in 
the  West. 

I  ascertained  that  the  guild  had  its  headquarters 
in  the  studio  of  a  rising  artist  of  the  Mystic  school, 
that  it  held  meetings  from  time  to  time,  of  which 
minutes  were  kept,  and  in  the  record  of  its  proceed- 
ings there  appeared  references  to  certain  Chinese 
spirits  of  the  underworld,  and  entries  which,  in 
veiled  language,  hinted  at  rites  having  been  prac- 
tised of  a  nature  which  could  only  be  described  as 
sorcery. 

I  had  no  very  definite  object  in  acquiring  this 
information,  but  I  was  led  on  by  a  vague  idea  that 
it  might  be  useful  to  me  at  some  future  time. 
During  the  storm  of  indignation  aroused  in  Europe 
by  the  Boxer  massacres,  nothing  more  was  heard 
of  the  Company  of  the  Joyous  Peach  Blossom,  which 
seemed  to  have  sunk  out  of  existence.  I  had  ceased 
to  think  about  it,  when  one  day,  shortly  after  the 
conclusion  of  the  peace  negotiations,  my  secretary 
came  in  to  ask  me  if  I  would  receive  a  gentleman 
whose  card  he  handed  to  me. 

I  took  the  card,  and  read  on  it  the  name  of 
M.  Caramel-Bignaud.  M.  Bignaud  was  a  young  poet 
of  distinction,  whose  verses,  stamped  with  a  delicate 
aloofness  of  their  own,  had  attracted  the  attention 
of  connoisseurs  in  the  columns  of  Gil  Bias.     To  me 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS    173 

he  possessed  an  interest  of  a  different  kind,  for  I  had 
last  read  his  name  as  president  at  the  meetings  of 
the  Company  of  the  Joyous  Peach  Blossom. 

'  I  will  see  this  gentleman,'  I  told  my  assistant. 

Partly  surprised,  partly  gratified,  by  this  proof  that 
I  had  rightly  gauged  the  importance  of  the  guild,  I 
waited  with  keen  curiosity  to  hear  what  M.  Bignaud 
had  come  to  say  to  me. 

The  poet  entered  and  took  the  chair  I  pointed 
out  to  him  without  a  word.  Then,  leaning  back 
negligently  and  fixing  his  dark,  sleepy  eyes  on  mine, 
he  began — 

'I  have  come  to  ask  you,  M.   V ,  if  you  are 

willing  to  undertake  a  long  journey — a  very  long 
journey — without  receiving  any  information  as  to 
the  business  which  awaits  you  at  the  end.' 

'  But  that  is  easily  answered,'  I  said.  '  Provided  I 
am  sufficiently  well  paid  for  my  time  and  trouble, 
it  makes  no  difference  to  me  where  I  go,  or  whether 
there  is  anything  for  me  to  do  when  I  get  there. 
It  must  be  always  understood  that  I  am  at  liberty 
to  refuse  this  business,  if  I  choose,  without  assign- 
ing any  reason,  and  that  my  refusal  will  make  no 
difference  to  my  charge  for  the  journey  itself 

'Your  conditions  are  perfectly  satisfactory,'  M. 
Bignaud  declared.  '  Whatever  sum  you  require 
shall  be  paid  to  you  in  advance.  How  soon  will 
you  bo  able  to  start  ? ' 


174.    SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  reflected  for  an  instant. 

'  If  you  wanted  me  to  go  to  any  place  in  Europe 
or  America  I  should  have  said  immediately.  As 
you  are  going  to  send  me  to  China  I  must  have  six 
hours  to  get  ready.' 

The  poet's  sleepy  gaze  changed  into  one  of  astonish- 
ment. 

'But  have  I  said  anything  about  China?'  he 
demanded,  evidently  in  some  dismay. 

•  You  have  said  nothing.  I  am  accustomed  to 
draw  inferences  in  my  work,  and  there  is  no  time 
to  lose  if  I  am  to  start  as  soon  as  I  have  said.' 

'  The  affair  is  not  so  pressing,'  the  poet  remarked 
with  a  smile.  'The  hurry  and  flurry  of  the  West 
are  not  known  in  that  delightful  country.  It  will 
be  quite  soon  enough  if  you  start  to-morrow,  or  the 
day  after.' 

•  So  much  the  better.  Am  I  to  go  to  Pekin  or 
Sing-fu?' 

'  To  Sing-fu.'  M.  Bignaud's  tone  betrayed  a  mild 
surprise  at  my  guess.  '  It  is  unnecessary,  I  suppose, 
to  observe  that  the  mission  is  confidential  ?  * 

That  is  the  sort  of  remark  which  always  irritates 
me. 

'  I  am  a  confidential  agent,'  I  retorted  curtly.  *  To 
whom  am  I  to  report  myself  ? ' 

M.  Bignaud  leant  forward  impressively. 

•  To  the  Dowager  Empress ! ' 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS   175 

I  received  this  announcement  without  manifesting 
any  emotion. 

*  Am  I  to  take  any  credentials  ? ' 

The  president  of  the  Comijany  of  the  Joyous  Peach 
Blossom  unbuttoned  his  coat,  and  drew  from  the 
breast-pocket  a  small  parcel  wrapped  in  yellow  silk. 
Unwinding  the  silk,  fold  by  fold,  with  reverent  care, 
he  displayed  to  view  a  square  tablet  of  translucent 
stone,  of  a  colour  like  that  of  an  olive  tree  seen  at 
a  distance  with  the  light  upon  it.  It  was  a  piece 
of  jade,  a  stone  whose  beauty  is  not  yet  appreciated 
in  Europe,  but  which  the  Chinese  estimate  far  above 
onyx  or  mother-o'-pearl  or  chalcedony. 

Taking  the  tablet  from  his  hand,  I  perceived  that 
it  was  engraved  with  the  figure  of  a  dragon,  whose 
extended  claws  each  showed  five  talons. 

'  This  is  an  Imperial  talisman,'  I  observed. 

'It  is  a  passport,'  the  other  responded.  '  The 
sight  of  that  tablet  will  gain  you  admittance  to  the 
presence  of  her  Imperial  Majesty.'  He  sighed  as 
he  added  :  '  You  are  to  be  envied,  monsieur.' 

'  That  remains  to  be  seen.'  I  proceeded  to  fix  the 
amount  of  my  remuneration  and  expenses,  which 
M.  Bignaud  paid  without  demur. 

As  he  was  rising  to  go  he  could  not  resist  asking — 

'  Have  you  any  objection  to  tell  me  what  it  was 
that  led  you  to  guess  that  your  journey  would  be 
to  China  ? ' 


176         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  It  was  more  than  a  guess,  monsieur,  since  I  knew 
I  had  the  honour  to  receive  the  chief  of  the  Company 
of  the  Joyous  Peach  Blossom.' 

I  almost  regretted  my  openness  when  I  saw  the 
effect  which  this  confession  produced  on  the  poet. 
He  turned  pale,  stammered  once  or  twice  as  though 
unable  to  speak,  and  finally  turned  his  back  with- 
out a  word,  and  rushed  from  the  room. 

It  would  be  tedious  to  recount  the  particulars  of 
my  journey  across  a  hemisphere  to  interview  the 
extraordinary  woman  who  had  revived  in  our  own 
day  the  fabled  majesty  of  Semiramis. 

I  reflected  that  it  was  not  a  little  singular  that, 
in  an  asre  when  the  women  of  the  Western  world 
were  clamouring  for  opportunities  to  play  a  greater 
part  in  life,  this  almond-eyed  daughter  of  the 
Manchus  had  cast  ridicule  upon  their  agitation  by 
proving  that  it  was  possible  for  a  woman,  born  in 
the  most  conservative  society  of  the  globe,  to  achieve 
the  supreme  direction  of  five  hundred  millions  of 
human  beings,  and  to  make  sport  of  the  statesmen 
of  Europe  and  America. 

To  reach  Pekin  was  an  easy  matter,  but  my 
difficulties  began  when  I  embarked  on  the  dangerous 
enterprise  of  travelling  into  the  interior  of  the 
empire,  through  provinces  seething  with  hatred  of 
the  foreign  devil.  In  spite  of  the  magic  influence 
of  mj  sacred  tablet,  I  found  it  prudent  to  disguise 


I'inally  lie  luriicd  liis  Ijack  wiilioul  a  word,  and  luslicd  from  the 
room." 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS   177 

my  Western  extraction  under  the  official  robes  of 
a  mandarin  of  the  fourth  class.  Thus  attired  I 
travelled  in  security  and  comfort,  everywhere  re- 
ceived with  the  honours  due  to  a  high  official 
honoured  with  a  summons  to  the  Court  of  Heaven. 

As  I  approached  Sing-fu  I  left  the  disturbed  area 
behind  me.  The  inhabitants  of  this  inland  region 
did  not  appear  to  have  heard  of  the  troubles  in 
Pekin  or  the  arrival  of  the  German  Michael  with 
his  mailed  fist  to  exact  redress  for  the  murder  of 
his  Ambassador.  They  understood  merely  that  the 
Son  of  Heaven  had  come  among  them  for  repose 
after  the  labour  of  chastising  certain  barbarian  pirates 
who  had  been  infesting  the  sea-coast. 

It  was  given  out  by  my  attendants  that  I  had 
come  to  report  the  successful  execution  of  his 
Majesty's  sentence  on  the  ruffians;  and  if  I  had 
really  left  the  heads  of  the  German  Emperor,  the 
Tsar  of  Russia,  and  President  Roosevelt  grinning 
on  spikes  over  the  gates  of  Pekin,  ray  reception 
could  not  have  been  more  cordial. 

I  found  the  Chinese  court  encamped  in  a  sort  of 
military  fashion,  in  charming  scenery,  at  the  foot 
of  a  ridge  of  low  hills,  amid  groves  of  fruit  trees 
watered  by  a  delightful  stream.  The  tents  of  ten 
thousand  guards  and  attendants  clustered  round  the 
stately  ])avilions  of  the  great  mandarins,  adorned 
with   flags   emblematic  of  their  rank;   and   in   the 

M 


178         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

centre  the  great  Imperial  Dragon  Standard  floated 
over  a  fairy-like  palace  whose  lacquered  wood  and 
silken  curtains  concealed  the  sacred  person  of  the 
Mother  of  the  Sun  and  Moon. 

The  disgraced  Emperor,  whose  fate  was  still  a 
mystery  to  his  subjects,  was  closely  imprisoned  in 
one  wing  of  the  Imperial  quarters. 

It  was  now  that  I  realised  the  full  significance 
of  the  jade  tablet  sent  to  me  by  the  hands  of  the 
student  of  Chinese  literature.  The  nearer  I  pene- 
trated to  my  august  client,  the  more  awe  this 
symbol  seemed  to  excite,  till  the  attendants  who 
guarded  the  antechamber  actually  fell  on  their 
knees  at  the  sight  of  it,  and  refused  to  rise  tiU  I 
had  replaced  it  in  its  silken  veils. 

Impressed,  in  spite  of  myself,  by  this  ceremonial 
homage  to  a  mere  token,  I  felt  a  real  sentiment  of 
awe  as  I  stood  at  last  in  the  presence  of  the  being 
whom  countless  millions  of  men  worship  as  divine. 

Slight,  dark-haired,  and  ivory-pale,  the  Emperor- 
maker  received  me  seated  in  a  simple  chair  of 
bamboo.  I  was  not  required  to  perform  the  kow- 
tow, my  audience  being  a  strictly  private  one.  I 
learned  afterwards,  moreover,  that  a  hurried  decree 
of  the  Board  of  Rites  had  raised  my  grandfather  to 
the  rank  of  a  marquis,  in  order  to  qualify  me  for  a 
personal  interview  with  her  Majesty. 

The  conversation  was  carried  on  in  French,  through 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS    179 

an  interpreter,  himself  of  such  high  rank  that  he 
could  not  have  spoken  to  me  directly  but  for  the 
recent  ennobling  of  my  ancestry. 

'Her  Imperial  Majesty  has  deigned  to  express  a 
hope  that  you  are  not  fatigued  by  your  journey.' 

'  It  is  impossible  to  be  conscious  of  fatigue  in  her 
Majesty's  presence,'  I  returned  with  a  deep  bow. 

By  the  slight  smile  that  parted  the  thin,  terrible 
lips  of  the  Empress,  I  acquired  the  certainty  that 
her  Majesty  perfectly  understood  everything  that 
was  being  said. 

No  doubt  the  interpreter  was  equally  aware  of 
this  circumstance,  for  he  assumed  an  expression  of 
courtly  dismay. 

'  I  dare  not  let  the  Mother  of  the  Emperor  know 
that  you  have  presumed  to  offer  her  a  compliment,' 
he  said  rebukingly.  'I  will  tell  her  Majesty  that 
you  await  her  Imperial  commands. 

After  a  short  interchange  in  Chinese,  he  turned  to 
me  again. 

'  I  am  commanded  to  tell  you  that  one  of  the 
barbarian  chiefs  who  have  made  a  disturbance  in 
the  capital  of  the  Empire  has  made  a  demand,  as 
the  price  of  his  departure,  which  is  too  insolent  to 
be  treated  as  anything  but  a  display  of  the  ignorant 
vanity  of  a  savage.  The  chief  I  speak  of  exercises 
sonic  autliority  among  those  of  the  Western  devils 
who  call  themselves  Dutch  or  Teutons.' 


180         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  You  mean  the  German  Emperor  ? '  I  said  incau- 
tiously. 

The  interpreter  put  on  a  look  of  horror,  as  at  some 
unheard-of  blasphemy. 

'Hush,  I  implore  you.  You  forget  the  Sacred 
Presence.  There  is  only  one  Emperor — he  whom 
her  Majesty  permits  to  execute  her  will  over  the 
black-haired  people.  The  vain  assumption  of  Im- 
perial titles  by  these  foreign  bandits  is  deeply 
offensive  to  the  Court  of  Heaven.  You  understand  ? 
All  such  upstarts  exist  merely  by  the  tolerance  of 
her  Majesty.  We  will  speak  of  this  person  as  the 
Viceroy  of  the  German  Province.' 

I  could  scarcely  resist  a  smile  as  I  bowed  apolo- 
getically. I  imagined  myself  repeating  this  conver- 
sation to  Wilhelm  II.,  a  ruler  not  inclined  to  take 
too  low  an  estimate  of  his  own  consequence. 

'  This  rebellious  Viceroy,'  the  Chinese  courtier  pro- 
ceeded, '  has  had  the  unheard-of  arrogance  to  require 
that  a  Prince  of  the  Manchu  dynasty  shall  travel  to 
his  unknown  province  to  express  regret  for  the  death 
of  its  envoy  at  the  Imperial  Court.' 

This  announcement  did  not  come  to  me  as  news. 
In  passing  through  Pekin  I  had  learned  that  one  of 
the  conditions  of  peace  was  that  a  Chinese  Prince 
should  go  to  Berlin  to  tender  the  Imperial  apologies 
to  the  Kaiser  for  the  murder  of  the  German  Am- 
bassador during  the  Boxer  rising. 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS   181 

The  interpreter  went  on — 

'  You  may  be  able  to  understand  faintly  bow  sucb 
a  proposal  must  strike  the  Imperial  ears,  by  imagin- 
ing the  case  of  a  negro  king  in  the  heart  of  Africa 
requiring  Queen  Victoria  to  send  one  of  her  sons  to 
prostrate  himseK  in  his  kraal,  because  some  accident 
had  happened  to  one  of  his  slaves  in  London,' 

I  listened  in  silence  to  this  illustration,  which 
showed  me  that  the  Dowager  Empress  was  pretty 
well  acquainted  with  the  political  distinctions  pre- 
vailing among  those  whom  she  professed  to  regard 
as  savages  beneath  her  notice. 

'  It  is,  of  course,  impossible,'  the  courtly  interpreter 
went  on, '  for  the  Brother  of  the  Sun  and  Moon  to 
submit  to  this  degradation,  even  if  it  were  safe  to 
expose  one  of  the  Imperial  House  to  the  dangerous 
magical  arts  of  the  West.  It  is  rumoured  that  you 
have  diabolical  contrivances  called  kodaks;  now  it 
is  evident  that  if  one  of  the  Race  of  Heaven  were 
kodaked,  the  Sun  himself  might  avenge  such  an 
insult  by  refusing  to  shine  upon  the  earth.' 

He  said  all  this  with  a  perfectly  serious  air.  But 
from  the  expression  on  the  face  of  the  Empress  I 
fancied  her  Majesty  was  a  little  wearied  of  this 
fulsome  strain. 

I  ventured  to  bring  him  to  the  point. 

'Will  you  tell  me  what  her  Imperial  Majesty 
desires  me  to  do  ? ' 


182         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Her  Majesty  graciously  condescends  to  confide  in 
you.  Her  slaves  who  reside  among  the  Western 
viceroys  have  assured  her  that  you  respect  the  pre- 
cept of  the  great  Khung — "The  counsellor  who 
betrays  his  lord's  secret  and  the  child  who  bites 
his  mother,  these  are  too  base  to  be  pardoned." ' 

'  Go  on,'  I  said,  becoming  slightly  impatient. 

'It  being  impossible  to  do  what  the  German 
Viceroy  asks,  and  her  Majesty  being  benevolently 
anxious  to  spare  him  the  humiliation  of  a  refusal, 
there  has  been  sought  out  a  man  of  the  people,  a 
barber  in  the  Tartar  city  of  Pekin,  whose  features 
Heaven  has  permitted  to  bear  a  certain  resem- 
blance to  those  of  his  Imperial  Highness,  Prince 
Chung. 

'This  respectable  person,  whose  intelligence  is 
remarkable  for  his  station  in  life,  has  been  provided 
with  a  dress  sufficiently  like  that  worn  by  the  Im- 
perial Family  to  deceive  the  barbarians.  He  has 
further  received  some  lessons  in  etiquette  and 
deportment  during  the  last  few  weeks.  He  will 
now  proceed  to  the  regions  of  the  West,  and  gratify 
the  absurd  pride  of  the  Viceroy  in  the  manner  agreed 
upon.' 

'  He  will  pass  himself  off  as  the  Prince  ? ' 
*  It  is  necessary  that  he  should  do  so,  in  order  to 
soothe  the  Viceroy.     It  is  better  that  the  Prince's 
name    should    incur    this    obloquy,   than   that   the 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS   183 

barbarian  soldiery  should  continue  tbeir  ravages  in 
the  Heavenly  Kingdom.' 

The  scheme  sounded  daring,  and  yet  it  seemed  to 
have  a  very  good  chance  of  success.  To  a  European 
eye  one  Chinaman  is  very  like  another.  And  there 
were  not  likely  to  be  many  people  in  Berlin  capable 
of  distinguishing  between  the  manners  of  a  prince 
and  a  barber,  apart  from  their  surroundings. 

'I  don't  see  why  the  plan  shouldn't  succeed,'  I 
said  aloud.  'Its  very  boldness  ought  to  carry  it 
through.' 

I  observed  a  distinct  look  of  satisfaction  on  the 
face  of  the  formidable  Empress  as  I  made  this  com- 
ment.    The  interpreter  hastened  to  respond — 

'Your  words  are  those  of  a  prudent  man.  Her 
Imperial  Majesty  offers  you  the  honour  of  accom- 
panying the  Prince's  substitute,  nominally  as  his 
courier,  but  really  as  his  protector.  You  will  be  on 
the  watch  against  any  chance  of  detection,  and  will 
warn  him  against  imprudent  conduct.' 

'I  accept  her  Majesty's  commission,'  was  my 
answer. 

Before  the  courtier  could  go  through  the  form  of 
interpreting  the  words,  the  Empress  said  something 
to  him  in  Chinese,  which  caused  him  to  start  like  a 
man  who  can  hardly  believe  what  he  has  heard. 

Her  Majesty  made  an  impatient  gesture  at  this 
piece  of  pantomime.   Instantly  he  turned  towards  me. 


184         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Will  your  Excellency  permit  me  to  offer  you  my 
most  respectful  congratulations?  The  Queen  of 
Heaven  has  ordered  you  a  cup  of  tea ! ' 

I  realised  that  I  was  as  much  exalted  as  if  a  mere 
barbarian  empress  had  bestowed  on  me  an  embrace. 
The  tea  was  brought;  a  whisper  from  my  adviser 
warned  me  that  I  must  merely  touch  the  cup  with 
my  finger  and  retire. 

The  interpreter,  whose  name  I  learned  was  Wu 
Tang,  accompanied  me  from  the  presence  to  make 
the  necessary  preparations.  Once  away  from  the 
dreaded  eye  of  his  Imperial  mistress,  he  proved 
to  be  a  very  agreeable,  well-informed  man,  and  I 
regretted  that  he  was  not  coming  on  the  mission 
to  Europe. 

He  introduced  me  to  the  pretended  Prince,  who 
had  already  got  quite  used  to  his  part,  and  received 
me  with  all  the  airs  of  a  Cousin  of  the  Sun  and 
Moon,  and  Brother-in-Law  of  the  whole  Milky 
Way. 

Of  our  journey  westward  it  is  needless  for  me  to 
write,  since  our  progress  was  fully  reported  in  the 
barbarian  press.  The  barber  was  kodaked  more  than 
once,  the  apprehensions  of  the  Chinese  Court  on  this 
head  being  fully  justified. 

The  principal  incident  which  marked  the  progress 
of  the  Embassy  must  also  be  fresh  in  the  public 
mind — namely,  the  demand  of  the  German  Court 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS   185 

that  the  Prince  should  perform  the  kowtow,  and 
his  refusal. 

It  was  at  this  stage  that  I  first  felt  myself  to  be 
doing  something  to  earn  the  lavish  rewards  of  the 
Dowager  Empress.  Left  to  himself,  I  believe  the 
barber  would  have  given  way,  and  performed  the 
degrading  obeisance,  thereby  lowering  the  honour 
of  the  Imperial  House  beyond  redemption.  The 
wretched  man  was  thoroughly  frightened  at  finding 
himself  so  far  from  home ;  and,  in  his  ignorance  of 
Western  manners,  he  really  thought  that  the  Kaiser 
might  have  him  imprisoned  and  beheaded  if  he 
provoked  his  Majesty. 

Fortunately  we  were  on  Swiss  territory  at  the 
time,  and  by  means  of  my  secret  agency  I  was 
able  to  procure  a  written  despatch  from  the  Chinese 
Ambassador  at  another  Court,  in  the  name  of  the 
Empress,  positively  forbidding  Prince  Chung's  sub- 
stitute to  comply  with  the  offensive  demand. 

The  circumstances  of  our  public  audience  in  the 
Palace  of  Berlin  were  sufficient  to  daunt  any  im- 
postor. I  confess  to  some  slight  nervousness  on  my 
own  part,  though  I  was,  of  course,  disguised  beyond 
the  possibility  of  recognition,  as  I  stood  before  the 
monarch  who  had  so  often  trusted  me  in  his  most 
confidential  affairs,  and  listened  to  the  faltering 
speech  of  the  false  Prince. 

The  Kaiser  was  attired  in  his  most  magnificent 


186         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

costume,  wearing  the  famous  winged  helmet  on  his 
head,  and  surrounded  hy  a  galaxy  of  ministers  and 
great  officers,  all  arrayed  in  the  utmost  military 
splendour.  It  was  a  sight  calculated  to  strike  terror 
into  an  Oriental  mind,  and  I  admired  the  theatrical 
completeness  of  the  spectacle,  almost  regretting  that 
it  should  be  wasted  on  an  obscure  underling.  Had 
the  real  Prince  been  there  he  might  have  learned  a 
valuable  lesson,  and  given  some  good  advice  to  the 
Empress  of  China  on  his  return. 

On  the  evening  after  the  ceremony  the  Prince's 
substitute  was  compelled  to  attend  a  banquet, 
given  in  order  to  mark  the  termination  of  strife, 
and  the  restoration  of  good  feeling  between  the  two 
empires. 

At  this  banquet  I  was  unable  to  be  present,  my 
position  being  too  low  for  me  to  receive  an  in- 
vitation, and  too  high  for  me  to  appear  as  an 
attendant  on  the  Prince.  What  incident  it  was 
that  occurred  to  rouse  the  Kaiser's  suspicion,  I 
have  never  been  able  to  learn — the  luckless  barber 
himself  could  not  tell  me.  But  late  that  night 
a  wire  reached  me  from  my  office  in  Paris,  to  this 
effect — 

'  Urgent  wire  received  from  German  Emperor 
requiring  you  immediately  in  Berlin.  What 
reply  ? ' 

With    the   reception    of   that    telegram    a   light 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS   187 

burst  upon  my  mind.  A  doubt  which  I  bad  tried 
in  vain  to  stifle  had  vexed  me  all  along  as  to  the 
sufficiency  of  the  Empress's  motive  for  retaining  my 
services,  at  a  high  cost,  to  do  practically  nothing. 

Now  at  last  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  understood. 
This  extraordinary  woman  had  doubtless  consulted 
her  representatives  in  Europe  as  to  the  dangers  of 
detection,  and  they  had  informed  her  that  I  was 
Wilhelm  II.'s  favourite  confidential  agent,  who  would 
almost  certainly  be  called  in  if  any  suspicion  arose. 
Thereupon  she  had  adopted  the  artful  device  of 
retaining  me  on  her  own  side  in  advance,  placing 
me  in  the  extremely  delicate  position  of  being 
bound  by  loyalty  to  her  to  hoodwink  my  other 
patron. 

What  was  I  to  do  ?  A  bare  refusal  or  neglect  to 
answer  the  Kaiser's  summons  would  leave  him  free 
to  employ  another  agent,  whom  I  might  find  it  hard 
to  outwit.  On  the  other  hand,  I  should  violate  my 
hfelong  rule,  if  I  accepted  a  commission  which  I 
could  not  loyally  discharge. 

After  much  painful  thought,  I  decided  on  what 
seemed  to  me  the  only  wise  and  honourable  course. 
Disguised  as  I  was,  I  went  straight  round  to  the 
palace,  and  asked  to  see  the  Kaiser. 

'Impossible!'  declared  the  private  secretary  on 
duty,  to  whom  I  was  first  shown  in.  '  His  Majesty 
is  retiring.     Who  are  you  ? ' 


188         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Go  and  tell  the  Emperor  that  the  man  whom  he 
has  just  telegraphed  to  Paris  for  is  here.' 

The  secretary  gave  me  an  astonished  look,  as  he 
well  might,  and  left  the  room. 

In  a  minute  he  was  back  with  instructions  to 
conduct  me  to  the  Kaiser's  presence. 

I  found  his  Majesty  in  his  dressing-room  alone. 

*  Monsieur  V 1  Is  this  really  you  ? '  he  ex- 
claimed. 

'  My  voice  may  be  more  familiar  to  you  than  my 
face,  sire,'  I  responded. 

'I  am  delighted.  Sit  down.  I  have  a  most 
extraordinary  thing  to  consult  you  about.    This ' 

I  ventured  to  hold  up  my  hand.  For  the  first 
time  in  my  life  I  presumed  to  interrupt  royalty. 

*A  thousand  pardons,  sire!  I  beg  of  you  to  let 
me  speak  first.' 

'Why,  what  does  this  mean,  sir,'  Wilhelm  II. 
inquired  sternly. 

'  It  means,  sire,  that  I  am  compelled  to  presume  on 
the  many  faithful  services  I  have  rendered  to  your 
Majesty  to  ask  you  for  a  favour  which  alone  can  ex- 
tricate me  from  a  position  of  cruel  embarrassment.' 

'  Proceed,  sir.' 

The  Kaiser's  tone  was  still  reserved,  but  I  fancied 
I  observed  a  slight  softening  in  the  glance. 

'  I  already  know  the  business  in  which  you  desire 
my  aid.* 


William   II.  strode  to  nie,  sei/.ed  mil-  by  llic  sIiouUIlms,  and  liiriLst 
nic  out  of  tlic  r(joiii." 


THE  RUSE  OF  THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS   189 

•You  know  it!'  cried  the  Emperor,  fairly  con- 
founded. 

'It  is  my  business  to  know  things,  and  I  know 
this.  Now,  let  me  put  it  to  your  Majesty,  what 
can  you  possibly  gain  by  following  up  an  inquiry 
which  can  have  no  tangible  result?  I  say  no 
tangible  result,  because  there  is  simply  no  means  by 
which  you  can  arrive  at  the  proof  of  what  you  suspect. 
And,  if  it  were  otherwise,  how  could  your  Majesty 
possibly  turn  the  information  to  account  ? 

'  You  could  not  entertain  the  idea  of  confessing  to 
the  world  that  you  had  been  duped.  Consider,  sire, 
what  use  the  wits  of  the  boulevards  would  make  of 
such  a  revelation!  Imagine  the  pencil  of  Caran 
d'Ache  at  work  on  the  episode ! ' 

I  saw  Wilhelm  II.  fidget  uneasily,  and  I  knew  that 
my  cause  was  gained. 

'  On  the  other  hand,'  I  resumed, '  suppose  that  you 
have  harboured  a  suspicion  which  is  unjust.  You 
run  the  risk  of  affronting  a  submissive  enemy — of 
insulting  the  fallen.  And  it  would  be  too  late  to 
repair  the  injury  to  your  own  prestige;  the  Paris 
mockers  would  never  abandon  so  good  a  joke.' 

The  Kaiser  frowned  and  tugged  at  his  moustache. 
It  was  evident  that  he  only  sought  an  excuse  to  yield. 

'  Consider,  sire,  that  what  is  merely  a  question  of 
poHtics  with  you  is  one  of  religion  with  the  poor 
woman  you  have  humiliated  to-day.     Your  end  is 


190         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

gained;  the  Imperial  House  of  China  has  humbled 
itself  in  the  dust  before  the  Hohenzollerns.  If  a 
religious  scruple  has  caused  this  public  act  to  be 
done  by  proxy,  that  is  a  secret  known  only  to  a  few 
persons  who,  for  their  own  sakes,  will  never  dare  to 
reveal  it.' 

By  this  time  the  Kaiser  was  as  anxious  to  pass  the 
matter  over  as  he  had  been  just  before  to  investigate 
it. 

'  If  I  consent  to  take  your  advice,  and  dismiss  the 
suspicion  I  have  formed,  will  you  in  turn  tell  me  two 
things  ? ' 

'  I  have  no  doubt  I  shall,  sire.' 

'  Then,  why  are  you  in  Berlin,  and  how  is  it  you 
know  so  much  ? ' 

*  I  am  here,  sire,  in  the  train  of  his  Imperial  High- 
ness, as  the  confidential  agent  of  the  Dowager  Empress 
of  China.' 

The  Kaiser  glared  at  me,  biting  his  lip  to  repress 
the  amused  smile  that  struggled  forth  nevertheless. 

'  M.  V ,  you  are  a  wonderful  man  !     I  am  not 

sure  whether  I  ought  to  arrest  you  or  to  pardon  you 
freely ;  however,  I  will  cry  quits  if  you  will  teU  me 
who  this  fellow  really  is  ? ' 

'  He  is,  of  course,  sire,  the  brother  of  his  Imperial 
Maj ' 

Wilhelm  II.  strode  to  me,  seized  me  by  the  shoul- 
ders, and  thrust  me  out  of  the  room. 


VIII 

THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH 

I  AM  now  going  to  relate  the  story  of  what  is, 
perhaps,  the  most  extraordinary  mission  on  which  I 
have  ever  been  employed.  It  will,  I  think,  come  as 
a  surprise  to  many  of  the  best-informed  politicians 
on  the  Continent,  including  the  highly  placed  person- 
ages whose  schemes  I  was  the  means  of  detecting 
and  defeating. 

It  was  during  the  war  between  the  British  and 
Boers  in  South  Africa,  at  a  period  which  I  do  not 
care  to  specify  more  particularly,  that  I  had  the 
honour  to  receive  a  request  to  proceed  without  loss 
of  time  to  Petersburg,  and  wait  upon  M.  Witte.  It 
is  chiefly  this  Minister's  unjust  dismissal  that  has 
provoked  mo  to  make  this  disclosure. 

I  was  particularly  gratified  at  being  sent  for  by  tho 
great  Russian  Minister,  because  his  action  was  a 
demonstration  of  the  high  confidence  reposed  in  my 
loyalty.  Although  I  was  known  to  be  a  Pole  by 
descent,   and    the  favourite   and    confidant  of    the 

191 


192         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

German  Emperor,  who  had  constantly  employed  me 
to  combat  Russian  intrigues,  yet  M.  Witte  felt  no 
fear  in  intrusting  me  with  the  secrets  of  Russian 
statecraft. 

The  moment  I  arrived  in  Petersburg,  I  went  with- 
out waiting  to  change  or  refresh  myself  to  wait  on 
my  client.  Our  interview  took  place,  not  at  the 
Ministry  of  Finance,  where  M.  Witte  would  have  been 
surrounded  by  spies,  but  at  a  small  private  house  in 
a  suburb  of  the  Russian  capital. 

The  Finance  Minister  received  me  in  a  small  study, 
the  walls  of  which  were  lined  with  works  on  political 
economy  and  kindred  subjects. 

'  I  have  asked  you  to  meet  me  here,'  the  Minister 
explained,  as  soon  as  I  had  seated  myself,  and  lighted 
the  cigar  which  he  pressed  upon  me, '  because  I  don't 
wish  the  fact  that  we  are  in  communication  to  be 
known  to  a  single  person  in  the  Russian  Empire.  In 
particular,  it  must  be  kept  a  strict  secret  from  the 
Minister  of  War.  It  is  against  him  that  you  will 
be  acting  really,  and  I  shall  have  to  ask  you  to 
pledge  yourself  that  in  case  of  your  proceedings 
attracting  his  attention,  you  will  lead  him  to  suppose 
that  you  have  been  co-mmissioned  by  some  foreign 
Power.' 

'  That  will  be  easy,'  I  replied.  '  Russia  has  plenty 
of  watchful  enemies.     Shall  I  say  Great  Britain  ?  * 

M.  Witte  shook  his  head  thoughtfully. 


Will  you  iiermit  me  to  ask  you,'  lie  said  politely,  '  if  you  have 
ever  done  any  business  on  hehalf  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria- 
I  lunfjary  ?'  " 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    193 

'  You  would  not  be  believed.  No  one  will  credit 
the  British  Government  with  intelligence  enough  to 
acquire  knowledge  of  its  enemies'  intentions.  But 
that  is  a  point  which  I  can  safely  leave  to  your  dis- 
cretion if  the  occasion  should  arise.' 

I  contented  myself  with  bowing,  and  waited  for  the 
Minister  to  proceed. 

'  Will  you  permit  me  to  ask  you,'  he  said  politely, 
'  if  you  have  ever  done  any  business  on  behalf  of  the 
Emperor  of  Austria- Hungary  ? ' 

'I  have  been  engaged  by  his  Majesty  on  two 
occasions,'  I  responded.  '  It  was  I  who  succeeded  in 
suppressing  the  facts  concerning  the  death  of  the 
Crown  Prince  Rudolf,  and  in  establishing  the  currency 
of  the  version  which  has  now  been  accepted  as  seri- 
ous history.  The  truth,'  I  added,  'will  never  be 
known  to  any  one  outside  the  innermost  circle  of  the 
Habsburg  family ;  and  I  dare  not  tell  it  even  to  your 
Excellency.  The  other  occasion  I  am  not  at  liberty 
to  mention.' 

'Perhaps  I  can  guess  it,  though,'  the  Russian 
Minister  returned  with  a  shrewd  smile.  'However, 
the  important  thing  is  that  you  are  already  person- 
ally known  to  the  Emperor.  It  follows  from  that 
fact  that  he  has  learned  to  respect  and  trust  you.' 

I  thanked  M.  Witte  for  this  compliment  by  a 
low  bow.  At  the  same  time  I  was  a  little  on  my 
guard. 

N 


194         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  You  know  so  much  of  what  goes  on  in  Europe, 

M.  V ,'  he  resumed,  '  that  perhaps  it  will  be  no 

news  to  you  that  Francis-Joseph  has  decided  to 
abdicate  the  Dual  CroAvn.' 

This  announcement,  in  fact,  came  as  a  complete 
surprise  to  me.  Fortunately  I  had  time  to  prepare 
to  receive  it  calmly. 

'I  will  not  pretend  that  it  is  news,'  was  my  re- 
sponse. '  But  I  am  always  glad  to  have  my  own 
information  confirmed.  I  shall  be  grateful  for  any- 
thing you  may  tell  me  on  the  subject.' 

'  I  am  not  going  to  keep  anything  from  you,'  said 
the  Minister.  'The  Emperor  has  made  a  private 
announcement  of  his  intention  to  my  own  master, 
the  Tsar,  asking  for  his  good  offices  on  behalf  of 
his  proposed  successor.' 

'  The  Archduke  Ferdinand  ? '  I  put  in  rashly. 

M.  Witte  drew  himself  up,  and  gave  me  a  sus- 
picious glance. 

'You  are  too  subtle,  M.  V ,'  he  said  coldly. 

'  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  know  perfectly  well  that 
it  is  the  young  Archduke  Karl  whom  the  Emperor 
has  chosen  to  succeed  him.' 

I  thought  it  better  to  be  suspected  of  subtlety 
than  nescience,  and  apologised. 

'I  ought  not  to  have  spoken.  I  beg  your 
Excellency  to  continue.' 

'What  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  do  may  sound 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    195 

rather  extraordinary.  I  want  you  to  go  to  Vienna, 
see  his  Majesty,  of  course  without  letting  him  know 
that  you  have  been  in  communication  with  me,  and 
tell  him  that  you  suspect  the  Russian  Government 
is  playing  him  false.  Then  persuade  him  to  employ 
you  to  find  out  what  is  in  the  wind.' 

I  stared  at  M.  Witte  in  some  bewilderment.  Then 
I  answered  cautiously — 

'Do  I  understand  you,  sir,  to  propose  that  I  am 
really  to  enter  the  service  of  the  Emperor  ?  Or  am 
I  to  be  your  agent  in  the  business  ? ' 

'  I  want  you  to  do  both,'  was  the  answer. 

*  I  am  to  deceive  the  Emperor,  it  appears  ? '  I 
said  with  rising  indignation. 

'  Not  in  the  least.  You  will  accept  his  commission 
to  ascertain  the  secret  intentions  and  purposes  of 
the  Government  of  Russia,  and  you  will  execute 
that  commission  exactly  as  if  you  and  I  had  never 
held  this  conversation.' 

'M.  Witte,  I  must  beg  you  to  be  plain  with 
me.  I  never  consent  to  act  in  the  dark.  What 
is  your  true  motive  in  making  this  strange  proposal 
to  me  ? ' 

'  I  think  I  have  already  told  you,'  the  Minister 
returned  with  perfect  coolness.  '  The  man  whom 
I  am  combating  is  Count  LamsdorfF.' 

'  Your  colleague  ? ' 

'  Exactly.     My  colleague,  the  War  Minister.' 


196         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

•  Let  me  see  if  I  clearly  understand  your  Excellency. 
The  Emperor  of  Austria  has  given  the  Tsar  private 
notice  of  his  intention  to  abdicate?  The  Tsar  has 
promised  to  preserve  a  friendly  attitude?  Never- 
theless, the  war  party  in  the  ministry,  with  or 
without  the  Tsar's  connivance,  are  secretly  preparing 
to  take  advantage  of  the  situation  in  some  way? 
Your  Excellency,  knowing  this,  and  disapproving 
of  their  plans,  desires  to  put  the  Austrian  Emperor 
on  his  guard,  in  order  that  the  scheme  may  mis- 
carry ? ' 

M.  Witte  punctuated  this  speech  with  a  series 
of  nods. 

'  And  why  ? '  I  demanded  bluntly,  throwing  myself 
back  in  my  chair. 

The  Russian  statesman  looked  at  me  for  a  minute, 
as  though  trying  to  make  up  his  mind  whether 
it  would  be  of  any  use  to  offer  me  a  false  ex- 
cuse. I  prepared  to  listen  to  something  about 
the  obligations  of  international  honour  and  good 
faith. 

'Suppose  I  were  to  tell  you  that  I  am  acting 
under  the  confidential  instructions  of  my  own 
Emperor,  who  lacks  the  courage  to  put  his  veto  on 
the  policy  of  the  Grand  Dukes  ? ' 

'In  that  case  your  object  can  be  attained  much 
more  simply.  Procure  me  a  line  in  the  handwriting 
of  Nicholas  11.  to  Francis-Joseph,  and  I  undertake 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    197 

to  deliver  it,  and  to  burn  it  afterwards  with  my 
own  hand.' 

The  Russian  heaved  a  sigh  of  amused  resigna- 
tion. 

'  You  are  too  deep  for  me,  M.  V .     Very  well, 

then,  I  will  tell  you.'  He  bent  forward  and  lowered 
his  voice.  'Russia  is  not  ready  to  strike.  A  war 
now  would  mean  the  bankruptcy  of  the  Empire. 
The  others  will  not  believe  this,  but  I  know  it.  I 
will  not  have  my  carefully  laid  plans  shattered  by 
them,  for  the  sake  of  a  miserable  province  like 
Galicia. 

'  I  am  a  statesman,  not  a  pettifogger.  With  my 
railways  I  am  reaching  forward  to  clutch  the  great 
Empires  of  Asia.  China  is  already  within  my  grasp  ; 
India  is  being  drawn  closer  year  by  year.  When  a 
thousand  millions  of  men  obey  the  sceptre  of  the 
Tsar,  these  petty  European  States  will  fall  like  ripe 
plums  into  our  lap.' 

The  Russian  spoke  with  real  emotion.  If  I  still 
retained  any  faint  misgiving,  it  was  not  enough 
to  restrain  me  from  accepting  the  service  required 
of  me. 

Within  three  days  I  found  myself  in  the  palace 
of  Schonbrunn. 

Of  all  my  clients  Francis-Joseph  is  the  most  un- 
approachable. Modern  ideas  of  democratic  equality 
find   little   encouragement   in   the   Austrian   Court. 


198         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

After  the  friendly  bonhomie  of  the  German  Kaiser, 
and  the  tactful  kindness  of  the  King  of  England, 
the  Austrian  sovereign's  manner  affects  one  dis- 
agreeably: it  is  like  touching  a  lump  of  ice.  Yet, 
according  to  his  lights,  the  Emperor  is  gracious  and 
even  cordial,  especially  to  those  who  approach  him 
in  his  private  hours. 

I  found  him  in  his  favourite  room  overlooking 
the  Park.  His  Majesty  did  not  invite  me  to  be 
seated  in  his  presence,  an  omission  which  indicated 
no  unfriendliness. 

'I  am  pleased  to  receive  you,  monsieur,'  he  said 
in  a  clear,  stately  voice.  'The  services  you  have 
rendered  me  entitle  you  to  ask  for  an  audience,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  your  reason  for  seeking  it  is  a 
proper  one.     Be  good  enough  to  state  it.' 

'I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  asking  for  this 
audience  in  order  that  I  might  offer  your  Majesty 
certain  information  about  your  forthcoming  abdica- 
tion.' 

The  Emperor  could  not  repress  a  slight  start. 
Lifting  his  eyebrows,  he  gazed  at  me  steadily  in 
the  face. 

'  I  have  communicated  my  desire  to  abdicate,*  he 
said  with  a  significant  intonation,  '  to  six  persons 
only.  Two  of  them  are  brother  sovereigns ;  two  are 
members  of  my  own  family ;  the  other  two  are  the 
Chancellor  of  the  Empire  and  the  Prime  Minister  of 


:</ 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    199 

Hungary.  Through  which  of  them  did  you  receive 
your  information  ? ' 

'  Not  one  of  the  persons  in  your  Majesty's  con- 
fidence has  the  slightest  idea  that  I  have  heard 
anything  whatever  on  the  subject.  I  must  respect- 
fully beg  your  Majesty  not  to  press  me  further.' 

The  aged  Emperor  was  evidently  much  disturbed. 

'  If  what  you  say  is  true — and  I  do  not  doubt 
your  word — the  information  must  have  reached  you 
through  an  intermediary.  That  is  to  say,  my  purpose 
is  known  to  at  least  eight  persons,  in  short,  to  the 
whole  world.' 

I  held  my  tongue.  It  is  the  art  by  which  I  have 
learned  most  of  my  secrets. 

After  a  few  minutes'  silent  consideration,  during 
which  the  frown  on  his  face  steadily  deepened,  his 
Majesty  looked  at  me  again. 

'  What  do  you  wish  to  tell  me  ? ' 

'I  wish  to  put  your  Majesty  on  your  guard.' 

'  You  have  done  that  already,  most  effectually,'  he 
interrupted. 

'  I  have  come  to  beg  you  to  distrust  the  assurances 
you  have  received,  no  matter  from  what  quarter,  that 
your  Majesty's  abdication  will  pass  off'  quietly.  And 
if  I  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  your  con- 
fidence, I  would  further  request  your  Majesty  to 
employ  me  on  the  service  of  ascertaining  what  the 
intentions  of  your  neighbours  really  are.' 


200         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

The  Emperor  perceived  tliat  I  was  keeping  some- 
tliing  back. 

'  In  what  directions  do  your  suspicions  point  ? '  he 
inquired  sternly. 

'Chiefly  to  Russia,'  I  answered  with  intentional 
vagueness. 

'  You  are  mistaken,  I  believe.  You  cannot  know 
the  nature  of  the  assurances  I  have  received.  Besides, 
I  am  well  acquainted  with  the  position  of  Russia.  M, 
Witte  is  the  man  who  counts  in  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment, and  he  is  all  for  peace.  He  needs  time  to 
develop  his  plans.  The  country  is  nearly  insolvent. 
However  much  the  war  party  may  desire  to  make  a 
snatch  at  Gahcia,  they  will  not  be  allowed  to  do  so.' 

'  Will  your  Majesty  pardon  me  if  I  venture  to  make 
a  proposition  ?  I  will  undertake  to  ascertain  the 
actual  state  of  things  at  my  own  risk.  If  I  am  able 
to  report  that  my  suspicions  are  unfounded,  your 
Majesty  shall  make  me  no  acknowledgment  what- 
ever.' 

Francis-Joseph  threw  me  a  displeased  look. 

'  I  regret  that  you  should  have  permitted  yourself  to 
speak  to  me  in  that  way,  monsieur.  Be  good  enough 
to  remember  who  I  am.  I  do  not  employ  servants 
without  paying  them.  Your  former  services  give 
you  a  claim  to  consideration;  your  position  and 
character  entitle  you  to  be  treated  seriously;  and 
I  am  not  going  to  reject  your  present  request.    You 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    201 

may  consider  yourself  retained  to  make  this  investi- 
gation.    Have  you  anything  else  to  say  ? ' 

This  acceptance  of  my  offer,  glacial  though  it 
was,  consoled  me  for  the  rebuke  by  which  it  was 
accompanied.  Nevertheless,  as  I  left  the  Emperor's 
presence,  I  regretted  that  he  had  not  been  more 
frank  with  me.  It  was  no  doubt  my  own  reticence 
which  provoked  this  corresponding  reserve  on  his 
Majesty's  part.  But  the  result  might  have  been 
unfortunate. 

It  will  be  noticed  particularly  that  although  the 
Emperor  had  practically  admitted  that  it  was  his 
intention  to  vacate  the  throne,  he  had  refrained  from 
giving  me  the  smallest  hint  as  to  the  date  of  the 
abdication. 

I  took  my  way  towards  the  Galician  frontier  in 
the  character  of  a  British  tourist,  armed  with  a  sheaf 
of  the  coupons  of  Messrs.  Cook.  I  was  aware  that 
this  disguise  would  serve  better  than  any  other  as 
a  cloak  for  prying  and  impertinent  questioning. 

Galicia,  I  need  hardly  say,  is  that  part  of  Poland 
which  fell  to  the  share  of  Austria  in  the  famous 
partition  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Bitterly  as  the 
Poles  hate  the  Russians,  the  two  peoples  are  allied  in 
language  and  blood,  and  Russia  has  always  looked 
forward  to  incorporating  the  whole  of  the  ancient 
realm  of  the  Jagellons  in  her  own  dominions  in 
course  of  time.     The  break-up  of  the  Dual  Monarchy 


202         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

would  naturally  be  the  signal  for  Russia  to  execute 
her  designs  on  the  Polish  province  of  the  Habsburgs, 

In  Galicia  itself  I  found  everything  in  a  state  of 
the  most  profound  peace  and  security.  There  was 
the  usual  frontier  garrison,  but  the  camps  showed  no 
signs  of  special  activity.  I  toured  along  the  frontier 
almost  from  end  to  end,  in  a  motor  which  I  had 
ordered  from  Paris,  and  I  came  upon  great  stretches 
of  country,  several  miles  in  extent,  where  a  whole 
Russian  army  corps  could  have  crossed  the  line 
without  being  observed,  far  less  opposed. 

At  the  end  of  this  inspection,  which  lasted  about  a 
week,  I  crossed  over  to  the  Russian  side. 

I  found  myself  received  without  apparent  distrust. 
The  legend  of  the  mad  Englishman  on  his  motor-car 
had  no  doubt  preceded  me.  The  Russians  do  not 
dislike  Englishmen,  as  individuals,  in  the  way  they 
dislike  Germans.  At  all  events  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
making  friends  with  many  of  the  officers  in  command 
of  frontier  posts.  They  offered  me  hospitality,  and 
showed  no  resentment  at  my  somewhat  daring  ex- 
ploration of  their  frontier. 

At  the  first  blush,  everything  seemed  as  peaceful 
on  this  side  as  on  the  other.  The  number  of  troops 
under  arms  Avas  not  excessive,  and  the  men  showed 
none  of  those  signs  of  suppressed  excitement  which 
warn  an  experienced  eye  that  some  movement  is  in 
contemplation. 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    203 

Presently,  however,  I  began  to  remark  an  extra- 
ordinary number  of  telegraphic  despatches  arriving 
at  the  various  posts.  Special  messengers  seemed  to 
come  and  go  with  a  frequency  that  hardly  seemed 
necessary  in  time  of  peace.  At  last,  one  night,  I 
was  roused  from  sleep  by  a  sound  which  my  ears 
were  quick  to  recognise.  It  was  the  muffled  rumble 
of  an  artillery  train  passing  over  the  rough  paving- 
stones  of  the  small  town  in  which  I  had  stopped  for 
the  night. 

I  got  up,  softly  drew  back  the  curtain  of  the 
window,  and  cautiously  peeped  out.  There,  in  the 
moonlight,  rolled  by  gun  after  gun,  followed  by 
the  caissons  and  all  the  supplementary  outfit  of  a 
park  of  artillery. 

They  were  heading  southward,  and  the  frontier 
lay  only  three  miles  away.  I  counted  six  batteries 
— thirty-six  guns — the  equipment  of  an  army  corps. 
When  all  had  gone  by  I  retired  to  rest  again. 

I  rose  at  break  of  day,  took  out  my  car,  and 
followed  in  the  route  of  the  cannon.  The  road 
conducted  me  without  a  turning  straight  to  the 
frontier  post,  where  I  found  a  sleepy  Russian  sentry 
exchanging  friendly  greetings  with  a  still  droAvsier 
Austrian  one.  A  short  way  beyond  stood  the 
Austrian  guard-house,  with  the  men  lounging  on  a 
bench  outside  the  door  in  the  sunlight,  waiting  for 
their  cofi'ee. 


204         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Everything  was  as  if  my  vision  of  the  night  before 
had  been  a  dream. 

I  turned  my  car  round,  and  drove  back  slowly, 
scrutinising  every  hedge  and  tree  along  both  sides  of 
the  road.  Less  than  a  mile  from  the  post  my  atten- 
tion was  caught  by  a  place  on  the  left  hand  side, 
where  the  hedge  appeared  to  have  been  mended  or 
replanted.  I  ought  to  explain  that  the  road  was 
bordered  at  this  point  by  a  thick  wood  apparently 
impenetrable  to  anything  bigger  than  a  stoat. 

I  stopped  the  car,  got  down,  and  approached  the 
hedge,  examining  every  inch  of  the  ground. 

The  first  discovery  I  made  was  that  the  road  itself 
had  been  recently  mended.  Creases  in  the  surface, 
like  the  ruts  made  by  heavy  wheels  in  turning,  had 
been  filled  up,  and  the  dust  from  other  parts  of  the 
road  carefully  raked  over  the  spot. 

Then,  looking  closely  at  the  hedge,  I  perceived 
that  the  bushes  were  no  longer  growing  in  their 
place.  The  entire  hedge  had  been  cut  away  level 
with  the  ground  for  a  space  of  several  yards, 
and  then  replaced,  the  matted  bushes  being  wired 
together  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  gate  or  hurdle,  like 
the  furze  hurdles  in  common  use  in  England  and 
other  countries.  The  leaves  were  already  beginning 
to  droop  from  want  of  the  nourishment  supplied  by 
the  roots. 

I  drew  up  my  car  close  to  the  hedge,  and,  mount- 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    205 

ing  upon  it,  managed  to  scramble  over  into  the  wood, 
at  the  cost  of  some  scratches. 

I  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  pile  of  brush- 
wood which  extended  for  some  paces,  completely 
covering  the  soil  from  view.  Immediately  beyond 
came  a  gap  in  the  trees,  not  in  front,  but  at  one 
side,  so  that  it  was  quite  invisible  from  the  road. 
Turning  sharply  towards  the  frontier,  and  running 
almost  parallel  with  the  high  road,  was  a  grassy 
drive  or  lane,  about  ten  feet  wide,  and  sufficiently 
free  from  undergrowth  to  admit  the  passage  of  an 
army. 

With  my  heart  thumping  against  my  ribs,  and 
almost  holding  my  breath  in  my  excitement,  I  stole 
along  this  path,  which  revealed,  by  a  hundred 
tokens,  that  it  had  recently  been  used  for  heavy 
traffic.  I  followed  its  windings  for  I  should  think  a 
mile  and  a  half,  when  I  found  myself  brought  up 
abruptly  by  a  post  and  rail  fence,  the  posts  being 
painted  yellow  on  the  side  which  faced  me,  and  black 
on  the  reverse. 

This  fence  was  the  boundary  between  the  two 
empires.  A  narrow  footpath  bordered  it  on  each 
side,  so  that  the  patrol  might  pass  along  it  each  day 
on  his  rounds. 

As  for  the  artillery,  it  seemed  to  have  disappeared, 
to  have  been  swallowed  up  by  the  earth. 

I  looked  round  me  in  all  directions.     The  wood- 


206  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

land  road  by  which  I  had  reached  the  frontier 
stretched  away  on  the  other  side  of  the  fence.  This 
was  in  itself  a  suspicious  sign.  It  scarcely  seemed 
likely  that  two  independent  drives  would  have  been 
constructed  so  as  to  meet  in  the  heart  of  the  forest, 
unless  there  was  some  traffic  meant  to  pass  that 
way.  All  at  once  the  explanation  burst  upon  me. 
It  was  a  smuggler's  route ! 

The  high  tariffs  of  the  Russian  and  Austrian 
empires  have  fostered  an  important  contraband 
traffic.  The  soldiers  who  patrol  the  frontier  are 
easily  bribed  by  a  share  in  the  gains  of  the  smugglers. 
What  the  Russian  War  Office  had  done  was  to  bribe 
the  smugglers  in  their  turn  to  act  as  its  allies  in  this 
strange  invasion. 

I  have  used  the  word  invasion.  Unless  my 
deductions  were  wholly  false,  the  thirty-six  guns 
which  I  had  seen  passing  my  window  in  the  night 
were  by  this  time  actually  planted  on  the  soil  of 
Austria. 

I  sprang  over  the  fence,  and  hurried  forward  on 
the  still  clearly  revealed  track. 

At  the  end  of  an  hour  from  my  first  entrance  into 
the  forest,  my  ear  caught  a  low  murmur  which 
warned  me  that  I  was  drawing  near  to  some  kind  of 
encampment.  Striking  from  the  lane  into  the  wood, 
I  advanced,  creeping  from  tree  to  tree.  But  I  have 
had  few  opportunities    of  learning  woodcraft,   and 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    207 

there  were  keener  ears,  and  more  stealthy  footsteps 
than  mine  in  the  forest.  Suddenly  I  felt  a  powerful 
hand  gripping  my  throat,  a  dark  cloth  descended 
over  my  eyes,  and  I  was  thrown  violently  to  the 
ground. 

I  did  not  lose  consciousness,  while  I  was  lifted  up 
by  the  feet  and  shoulders,  and  carried  a  distance 
which  I  calculated  at  two  hundred  paces.  After 
some  twisting  and  turning  I  was  set  down,  and  the 
cloth  was  taken  off  my  head.  I  sat  up  and  looked 
round. 

I  found  myself  in  a  small  hut  or  wigwam  of 
boughs  and  woven  rushes,  surrounded  by  half  a 
dozen  dark-faced  men  who  squatted  between  me 
and  the  doorway,  the  only  opening  by  which  light 
was  admitted.  One  glance  at  my  captors  satisfied 
me  that  they  were  neither  soldiers  nor  Russians. 
Reassured  on  this  point  I  prepared  to  defend  myself 
boldly. 

The  head  man  of  the  party  appeared  to  be  an  old 
fellow  with  a  short  grey  beard,  who  might  have 
passed  equally  well  in  the  uncertain  light  for  a 
Wallach,  a  Slovene,  a  gipsy,  or  a  Jew,  but  certainly 
not  for  an  honest  man  of  any  race.  Addressing  my- 
self to  the  chief  of  the  smugglers,  as  I  conceived  him 
to  be,  in  Polish,  I  asked — 

'  Why  have  you  dared  to  treat  me  like  this  ? ' 

'  He    is    a    Pole ! '      The    muttered    exclamation 


208  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

solved  my  doubt  as  to  the  race  of  the  smugglers. 
The  language  they  used  between  themselves  was 
Romany. 

'  What  were  you  doing  in  our  wood  ? '  the  old 
gipsy  asked  threateningly. 

Before  I  had  time  to  reply,  the  old  man's  eye 
suddenly  lighted  up.  He  took  a  step  towards  me, 
uttered  an  amazed  ejaculation,  and  then,  before  I 
knew  what  was  happening,  fell  on  his  knees  before 
me,  and,  seizing  my  right  hand,  respectfully  kissed 
a  ring  on  the  little  finger.  At  the  same  time  the 
other  members  of  the  party  crowded  round,  evidently 
impatient  to  follow  his  example. 

The  ring  which  excited  this  extraordinary  demon- 
stration was  one  which  I  had  worn  so  long  that  I 
had  forgotten  all  about  it.  It  had  been  given  me 
seventeen  years  before,  in  Baghdad,  by  an  old 
woman  I  had  saved  from  the  bastinado  at  the  hands 
of  a  savage  Pasha. 

She  was  a  gipsy,  I  now  remembered;  she  had 
forced  the  ring  upon  me  against  my  will,  and  had 
urged  me  never  to  take  it  off  night  or  day,  assuring 
me  in  the  most  solemn  manner  that  it  would  one  day 
be  the  means  of  saving  my  life.  This  prophecy, 
which  I  had  laughed  at  as  a  vain  boast  and  quickly 
forgotten,  was  coming  true  at  last. 

Blessing  the  old  lady  with  all  my  heart,  and  in- 
wardly apologising  to  her  for  my  past  scepticism,  I 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    209 

put  on  the  air  of  one  who  was  accustomed  to,  and 
expected,  the  homage  he  was  receiving. 

'  That  will  do,  my  friends,'  I  said,  when  each  man 
had  saluted  the  magic  ring  in  turn — it  was  engraved 
with  a  pentagram.  '  Now,  if  I  give  you  some  money, 
how  long  will  it  take  you  to  procure  some  bottles  of 
good  wine  ? ' 

A  grunt  of  pleasure  welcomed  this  inquiry.  I 
heard  a  word  which  sounded  like  canteen.  Then 
one  of  the  men  rose,  in  obedience  to  a  nod  from  the 
chief. 

'  Cheni  will  fetch  it  in  five  minutes,'  said  the  old 
man. 

I  placed  a  double  handful  of  gold  in  his  out- 
stretched palms.  A  perfect  salvo  of  approving  cries 
greeted  this  munificence. 

While  we  were  waiting  for  the  wine  to  appear  I 
offered  an  account  of  myself  which  appeared  to  be 
quite  satisfactory.  I  said  I  was  a  Pole,  of  gipsy 
descent  through  my  mother,  that  I  was  engaged  in 
a  plot  to  bring  about  a  general  rising  in  the  event  of 
war  between  Austria  and  Russia,  and  that  I  was 
specially  engaged  to  secure  the  support  of  the 
numerous  gipsies  along  the  frontier,  who  were  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  two  great  belligerents 
on  our  behalf,  a  service  for  which  they  would  be 
handsomely  paid. 

The  arrival  of  six  bottles  of  first-rate  Tokay  gave 
o 


210         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

all  the  confirmation  to  my  words  that  was  required. 
As  the  wine  vanished  down  their  throats,  the  gipsies 
laid  aside  all  reserve,  and  freely  imparted  to  me 
what  information  they  possessed. 

They  told  me,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  six 
batteries  I  was  tracing  were  within  a  few  yards 
of  us,  skilfully  hidden  among  the  trees.  Their 
arrival  brought  the  force  designed  for  the  occupa- 
tion of  Galicia  up  to  a  total  strength  of  eighty 
thousand  men  and  seventy- two  guns,  all  of  whom 
had  been  secretly  brought  across  the  frontier  at 
different  points  during  the  last  few  days,  and  were 
now  ready  to  move  in  concert  as  soon  as  the 
signal  was  given,  and  overrun  the  unprepared 
province. 

Vast  convoys  of  provisions  were  being  held  in 
readiness  on  the  Russian  side  of  the  frontier,  and 
a  second  army  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
men  was  to  be  secretly  mobilised  in  and  around 
Warsaw,  ready  to  come  to  the  support  of  the  first, 
in  the  event  of  serious  resistance  on  the  part  of  the 
Austrian  Government. 

This  last  item  rested  on  hearsay,  but  the  presence 
of  two  army  corps  on  Galician  soil  was  a  fact  for 
which  my  informants  were  able  to  vouch  from  their 
own  observation.  The  fact  was  known  to  every 
smuggler  along  the  Galician  frontier,  and  yet,  so 
profuse  were  the  bribes  they  had  received,  and  so 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    211 

perfect  was  their  secrecy,  that  not  the  slightest  hint 
had  been  suifered  to  reach  any  official  of  the  Austrian 
Government. 

I  spent  some  hours  of  the  most  agonising  suspense 
I  have  ever  known,  in  the  company  of  these  drunken 
outlaws,  before  I  dared  to  risk  an  effort  to  get  away. 
Their  suspicions,  or  rather  their  natural  distrustful- 
ness,  caused  them  to  raise  all  sorts  of  objections  to 
my  departure.  It  was  only  by  swearing  on  the  sacred 
pentagram  that  no  hair  of  their  heads  should  ever 
be  imperilled  by  any  action  of  mine,  that  I  was  able 
to  tear  myself  away. 

When  I  got  out  on  to  the  high  road  again,  at 
the  spot  where  I  had  left  my  motor,  I  found,  as  I 
had  feared,  that  it  was  no  longer  there.  I  turned  at 
haphazard  in  the  direction  of  the  frontier  post.  As 
soon  as  I  came  in  sight  of  the  Russian  guard-house, 
I  saw,  to  my  delight,  my  car  standing  on  the  road 
in  the  front  of  the  door,  with  a  group  of  interested 
soldiers  curiously  inspecting  every  part  of  it. 

Now  the  car  happened  to  be  a  Panhard,  of  the 
most  powerful  construction  yet  turned  out  by  the 
famous  French  firm. 

I  strolled  up  carelessly,  greeted  the  astonished 
soldiers  in  broken  Russian,  and  asked  ihciii  if  they 
were  familiar  with  the  machine.  The  lieutenant  of 
the  post,  a  man  in  education  and  intelligence  below 
the  level  of  an  English  sergeant,  bustled  out  and 


212  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

began  questioning  me,  with  the  evident  intention 
of  ordering  my  arrest. 

I  handed  him  my  passport  to  read,  a  process  which 
takes  some  time  with  an  illiterate  Russian  officer, 
and  went  on  explaining  the  mechanism  of  the  car 
to  the  inquisitive  soldiers.  Finally  I  came  to  the 
driving  power. 

'And  now,  my  friends,'  I  said,  'I  will  show  you 
how  the  car  is  propelled.  Stand  back  clear  of  the 
wheels,  if  you  please.  You  see  this  lever.  I  place 
my  hand  on  it  so ' 

'  Stay ! '  shouted  the  officer,  divining  the  danger  in 
this  demonstration. 

He  spoke  too  late.  As  my  hand  grasped  the 
lever,  I  vaulted  into  the  car,  and  before  the  excited 
soldiers  realised  that  it  was  under  way,  the  Panhard 
was  tearing  towards  the  boundary  line  at  the  rate  of 
twenty-five  miles  an  hour. 

The  Russian  sentry  ran  out  into  the  middle  of  the 
road  to  stop  me.  He  was  a  poor  peasant,  perhaps 
from  the  banks  of  the  Volga,  who  must  have  thought 
that  the  Evil  One  himself  was  upon  him.  I  saw  his 
face  blanch,  and  almost  heard  the  chattering  of  his 
teeth,  but  he  did  not  flinch  from  his  duty.  I  rode 
right  over  him,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  beheve 
he  was  killed. 

The  Austrian  sentry  simply  fired  off  his  gun  as 
a  warning  to  his  comrades  at  the  guard-house  further 


I  rode  right  over  liim. 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    213 

along  the  road.  They  swarmed  out,  and  I  pulled  up 
the  machine.  I  had  put  the  brake  on  immediately 
after  crossing  into  Austrian  territory. 

'  In  the  Emperor's  name ! '  I  whispered  to  the 
Austrian  officer  of  the  guard.  '  I  am  not  an  English- 
man, but  a  member  of  the  Austrian  Secret  Service. 
By  allowing  me  to  pass  without  delay  you  will  render 
the  Government  a  vital  service.' 

'You  have  just  killed  a  man,'  the  officer  objected, 
pointing  to  the  blood  on  my  wheels. 

*  I  am  afraid  so.  The  fact  that  I  killed  a  Russian 
sentry  in  order  to  cross  the  frontier  should  convince 
you  that  I  am  in  deadly  earnest.' 

The  officer,  by  some  rare  chance,  was  intelligent 
enough  to  believe  me. 

'  Pass  on,  sir,'  he  said. 

I  pressed  the  lever,  and  set  out  on  my  mad  race 
across  an  Empire  to  Vienna.  I  had  nothing  to  eat 
or  drink,  I  had  no  shields  for  my  eyes ;  the  Russian 
soldiers  must  have  removed  them  while  the  car  was 
in  their  hands.  I  was  utterly  unprepared  for  my 
terrible  journey.  But  some  intuition  warned  me 
that  every  moment  was  precious,  and  I  kept  my 
splendid  machine  at  full  pressure  for  the  wliolo  five 
hundred  miles. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  that  nightmare  ride. 
Late  in  the  evening  of  the  following  day,  I  alighted 
at  the  gate  of  the  palace  of  Schonbrunn,  worn-out, 


214         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

my  face  and  hands  chapped  and  bleeding,  my  eyes 
half- blinded  with  dust,  and  my  strength  nearly 
gone. 

'The  Emperor!  Take  me  to  the  Emperor!'  I 
gasped  to  the  first  person  I  met.  'It  is  life  or 
death!' 

I  was  conducted  into  the  presence  of  a  chamber- 
lain, who  sought  to  impose  all  sorts  of  obstacles. 

'You  cannot  see  his  Majesty  now.  I  dare  not 
intrude  upon  him.  He  is  closeted  with  the  Arch- 
dukes.    It  is  a  Habsburg  Family  Council.' 

'  My  God ! '  I  cried  out.  '  You  have  given  me  ten 
thousand  reasons  for  insisting !  If  it  costs  my  life, 
I  must  interrupt  his  Majesty.' 

My  violence  cowed  the  oflScial.  He  conducted 
me,  or,  in  fact,  supported  me,  for  I  was  almost 
too  weak  to  stand,  to  the  door  of  the  Council 
Chamber. 

'Go  in,  if  you  must,'  he  said.  'For  my  part,  I 
dare  not  announce  you.' 

I  turned  the  handle  of  the  door,  and  staggered 
into  the  room. 

The  spectacle  which  met  my  eyes  was  dazzling. 
In  a  blaze  of  light  all  the  Archdukes  of  the  Imperial 
House,  wearing  their  uniforms  and  robes  of  State, 
were  grouped  in  a  semicircle,  facing  a  throne  on 
which  the  representative  of  the  Ca3sars  was  seated  in 
his  Imperial  mantle,  wearing  the  great  Double  Eagle 


THE  ABDICATION  OF  FRANCIS-JOSEPH    215 

Crown  of  Austria.  Before  him,  on  a  footstool,  knelt 
a  handsome  lad  of  fifteen,  in  whom  I  had  no  difficulty 
in  recognising  the  Archduke  Karl,  the  destined 
successor  to  the  throne. 

At  the  moment  I  burst  in  I  saw  the  venerable 
Emperor  raise  his  hands  to  his  head,  lift  up  the 
Imperial  Crown,  in  which  the  huge  diamonds  and 
rubies  and  sapphires  sparkled  like  founts  of  fire, 
and  hold  it  poised  in  the  air  over  his  young  kins- 
man's bent  head.  In  another  second  it  would  have 
rested  on  the  boy's  brow,  and  Francis-Joseph  would 
have  ceased  to  reign. 

'  Pardon ! ' 

My  voice  rang  out  like  the  hoarse  scream  of  a 
drunkard.  I  tottered  forward  and  fell  on  my  knees, 
while  the  Emperor  half  rose  from  his  throne,  still 
grasping  the  great  crown  in  both  hands. 

'  Pardon,  sire !  At  this  hour  a  Russian  army  of 
eighty  thousand  men  is  encamped  upon  the  soil 
of  Austria ! ' 

Francis  -  Joseph    sank    back    on    his    seat,    and 
mechanically  replaced  the  diadem  on  his  own  head. 
♦  *#*** 

The  explanations  which  followed  between  the 
two  Governments  were  not  communicated  to  me. 
But  I  learned  through  my  friends  the  gipsies  that 
the  discovery  of  the  motor,  and  my  subsequent  flight 
gave   the   alarm    to   the  Russian  War  Office.     The 


216         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

invading  force  retired  as  stealthily  as  it  had  come, 
and  all  vestiges  of  its  having  crossed  the  frontier 
were  so  speedily  and  skilfully  effaced  that  if  Count 
Lamsdorff  fell  back  on  a  denial  of  the  truth,  it  is 
probable  that  the  Austrian  Government  found  itself 
unable  to  press  the  charge. 

So  the  evil  day  has  been  postponed ;  for,  as  long 
as  Francis- Joseph  reigns  over  the  Dual  Monarchy, 
Russia  will  be  content  to  bide  her  time. 

In  the  meanwhile  I  have  been  informed  that  a 
warrant  has  been  issued  against  me,  in  the  Russian 
courts,  for  the  murder  of  the  sentry  whose  fate  I 
have  described. 


IX 

THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DKAGA 

It  is  with  painful  feelings,  and  only  after  long  con- 
sideration, that  I  have  resolved  to  lift  the  veil  from 
the  tragic  mystery  which  surrounds  the  fate  of  the 
Queen  who  perished  under  the  knives  of  assassins 
in  Belgrade  in  the  month  of  June  1903. 

The  hesitation  I  have  felt  in  approaching  this 
melancholy  story  is  due  to  reasons  of  a  personal 
character.  Many  years  before,  when  the  late  Queen 
of  Servia  occupied  a  private  station,  it  was  my  lot  to 
meet  her,  and  to  fall  under  the  spell  of  that  fascina- 
tion which  this  extraordinary  woman  possessed  over 
men,  and  which  will  cause  her  to  be  remembered 
in  history  with  Helen  and  Cleopatra,  and  all  those 
enchantresses  who  have  involved  kingdoms  in  ruin 
by  their  charms. 

I  had  no  right  to  suppose  that  the  Countess,  as 
she  then  was,  distinguished  me  from  the  crowd  of 
those  who  paid  homage  to  her;  but  yet  it  seems  as 
though  I  had  in  some  manner  inspired  her  with  a 
feeling  of  confidence  and  regard  warmer  than  that 

217 


218         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

usually  felt  by  any  woman  for  a  man  who  is  neither 
her  lover  nor  her  kinsman. 

I  believe  myself  to  be  the  only  survivor  of  the 
tragedy  who  possesses  the  key  to  that  strange  and 
terrible  career,  and  that  in  imparting  my  knowledge 
to  the  world  I  am  discharging  what  has  become  a 
sacred  duty  to  the  dead. 

With  this  apology  I  will  come  straight  to  the 
history. 

It  was  some  years  since  I  had  seen  or  heard 
anything  of  the  Countess  Draga,  though,  of  course, 
I  was  aware,  in  common  with  all  well-informed 
students  of  contemporary  politics,  of  the  passion 
which  she  had  inspired  in  the  young  King  of 
Servia,  when  I  was  astonished  by  receiving  one  day 
a  private  letter  from  her,  imploring  me  to  come  to 
Belgrade  at  once  to  advise  her  on  a  matter  of  the 
highest  importance. 

I  lost  no  time  in  obeying  the  summons,  by  which 
I  was  singularly  moved,  since  there  is  only  one 
thing  which  can  ever  be  of  the  highest  importance 
to  a  woman. 

It  was  in  the  courtyard  garden  of  an  old  stone- 
walled Servian  house — more  like  a  fortified  farm- 
house than  a  private  mansion — that  the  revelation 
burst  on  my  ears  which  was  so  soon  to  startle  the 
capitals  of  Europe. 

A  fountain  plashed  into  a  marble  basin  strewn 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   219 

with  rose  leaves,  and  the  faint  scent  of  myrtle  and 
lemon  blossom  came  from  the  curtain  of  shrubs 
which  screened  the  gatew^ay  in  the  thick  grey  wall. 
The  beautiful  woman  whose  name  was  the  object  of 
maledictions  throughout  a  continent,  reclined  on  a 
low  couch  heaped  with  Oriental  cushions,  and  fixed 
her  dark  eyes  on  me  with  a  tragic  intensity  of 
appeal,  as  she  confessed  her  secret. 

'  I  need  the  advice  of  a  disinterested  friend,  one 
who  stands  apart  from  the  intrigues  which  centre 
round  the  Servian  throne.' 

I  sat  upright  on  the  French  chair  provided  for 
me,  and  gazed  down  at  her,  outwardly  calm  and 
stern  as  ever,  but  gripping  the  throttle  of  emotions 
whose  strength  none  can  know  but  myself. 

'  My  advice  will  be  disinterested  in  one  sense,'  I 
answered  slowly.  '  I  care  nothing  for  the  plots  and 
conspiracies  which,  under  the  name  of  politics,  serve 
as  a  substitute  for  the  old  brigandage  of  the  Balkans. 
But  I  am  interested  in  your  happiness.' 

The  Countess  Draga  let  her  eyelids  fall  for  a 
moment  as  a  quick  spasm  of  pain  crossed  her 
face. 

'  Do  not  let  us  speak  of  my  happiness,'  she  said  in 
low  tones.     '  It  is  of  Alexander  I  must  think.' 

I  folded  my  arms  across  my  chest,  and  said 
nothing. 

•  He  has  asked  me  to  be  his  Consort.' 


220         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  did  not  succeed  in  quite  concealing  the  astonish- 
ment with  which  I  heard  this  piece  of  news,  as  yet 
unsuspected  by  Europe,  and  for  which  my  friend 
Baron  Rothschild  would  gladly  have  paid  1,000,000 
francs, 

'I  refused  him,'  the  Countess  added;  'I  have 
refused  him  not  once  but  twice,  but  he  persists.' 

'  Kings  ought  to  marry  kings'  children,'  I  observed, 
as  she  seemed  to  wait  for  some  expression  of  opinion 
from  me. 

'  Add  that  boys  ought  to  marry  girls  and  not  grown 
women,  and  you  will  say  what  the  world  will  say  as 
soon  as  it  hears  of  this,'  she  returned,  with  some 
bitterness.  'That  is  what  I  have  told  Alexander; 
and  he  has  sworn  upon  the  crucifix  in  my  presence 
that  he  will  marry  only  me.' 

'  Leave  Servia.  Spend  a  year  on  the  Riviera — or 
in  Paris ' — she  glanced  swiftly  at  me  as  I  said  this — 
'  and  he  may  change  his  resolution.' 

The  Servian's  reply  startled  me. 

'  I  cannot.  At  this  moment  I  am  under  secret 
arrest.' 

'  Under  arrest  ?  * 

'You  forget  that  Alexander  has  made  himself 
master,  and  that  reasons  of  State  cover  a  great  deal 
in  Servia  which  they  would  not  cover  in  France.' 

I  was  staggered.  A  stranger  situation  I  had  never 
encountered  in  all  my  strange  experience. 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   221 

'He  holds  you  a  prisoner  till  you  consent  to 
become  his  Queen  ! ' 

'  Till  I  become  his  Queen,'  she  corrected. 

I  sat  still  for  a  minute,  considering.  The  chancel- 
leries and  the  pubhc  of  Europe  would  never  believe 
this  story.  They  would  think,  they  were  already 
thinking  and  saying,  that  the  Countess  was  an 
adventuress,  luring  the  young  King  to  his  ruin. 

'There  is  one  very  simple  solution,'  I  said  at  last. 
'  I  will  arrange  your  escape.' 

'  Impossible ! '  she  sighed. 

I  frowned. 

'  Pardon  me,  my  dear  Countess,  but  when  you  did 
me  the  honour  to  consult  me,  I  assumed  that  you 
had  some  confidence  in  my  ability.  I  offer  to  take 
you  wherever  you  wish  to  go.' 

'You  misunderstand  me,  my  dear  friend.  I  do 
not  doubt  your  power  to  release  me.  But  my  flight 
would  become  a  public  event ;  Alexander  has  too 
little  self-restraint  to  keep  silence  about  it.  I  should 
thus  damage  him  as  much  as  by  accepting  the 
throne  which  he  offers  me.  He  has  sworn,  moreover, 
that  if  I  persist  in  my  refusal,  he  will  abdicate.' 

With  what  sophistries  will  a  woman  deceive  her- 
self where  her  heart  is  concerned  !  And  how  worse 
than  useless  is  it  to  reason  with  her. 

'You  have  told  me  enough,'  T  answered,  in  a  voice 
which  was  melancholy  in  spite  of  myself     'I  per- 


222         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

ceive  that  this  young  monarch  is  not  indifferent  to 
you.' 

The  lovely  Servian  lowered  her  glance,  and  began 
picking  a  rose  to  pieces  with  her  delicate  fingers. 

'  He  is  my  King,'  she  murmured.  '  He  is  the  last 
of  the  dynasty  of  Obrenovitch,  which  my  family  have 
served  faithfully  for  a  hundred  years.  The  one  thing 
which  alarms  me  most  in  the  whole  situation  is  that 
I  have  been  urged  to  accept  the  King's  hand  by 
Colonel  Masileff.' 

'Colonel  Masileff?' 

'  Who  is  understood  to  be  the  secret  head  of  the 
party  in  favour  of  Prince  Peter  Karageorgevitch.' 

I  now  understood  the  seriousness  of  the  affair, 
since  it  was  clear  that  whatever  step  was  favoured 
by  the  supporters  of  the  Karageorgevitch  claimant 
must  be  fraught  with  some  danger  to  the  Obreno- 
vitch. 

'  Is  Alexander  aware  of  this  fact  ? ' 

*  I  have  told  him,  but  he  considers  it  an  excuse  on 
my  part.  Perhaps,  if  you  were  to  warn  him,  he 
might  listen  to  you.' 

I  did  not  much  relish  the  task  of  forcing  my 
advice  on  a  headstrong  youth,  intoxicated  with  love 
and  sovereignty.  In  the  end  I  decided  to  return 
from  Belgrade  through  Switzerland  and  take  an 
opportunity  of  finding  out  something  about  Alex- 
ander's rival  for  the  Servian  crown. 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   223 

But  the  ways  of  women  are  proverbially  difficult 
to  calculate. 

While  I  was  still  lingering  in  Belgrade,  on  the 
look-out  for  some  useful  introduction  to  Prince  Peter, 
the  world  was  startled  by  the  public  announcement 
of  the  forthcoming  marriage  of  the  King  and  the 
Countess. 

I  went  at  once  to  wait  on  the  prospective  Queen 
of  Servia  to  tender  my  formal  congratulations.  I 
found  her  already  surrounded  by  a  throng  of  cour- 
tiers, among  whom  I  discerned  the  lean  military 
figure  and  vulture  nose  of  the  man  whom  Draga  her- 
self had  denounced  to  me  a  few  days  before — Colonel 
Masileff. 

So  magical  is  the  influence  of  royalty  that  I  found 
myself  able  to  detect  a  difference  already  in  the 
manner,  and  even  in  the  very  voice,  of  the  woman 
who  had  bared  her  heart  to  me  so  short  a  time  before. 
She  was  gracious  and  cordial,  but  it  was  the  gracious- 
ness  and  cordiality  of  a  Sovereign  to  a  subject,  rather 
than  that  of  a  beautiful  woman  to  a  man. 

Coming  away  I  thrust  my  arm  through  that  of  the 
formidable  Colonel. 

'  Have  you  any  commands  for  Geneva  ? '  I  asked. 
'  I  shall  be  there  in  the  course  of  two  days.' 

Masileff  let  himself  be  surprised. 

'  But  I  thougHt  you  were  a  friend  of  the  Countess  ?' 
he  stammered. 


224         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Certainly — as  you  are/  I  retorted.  '  It  seems  to 
me  tliat  the  Countess  is  doing  a  very  good  stroke 
of  work  for  a  cause  in  which  you  and  I  are  both 
interested.' 

Masileff  glanced  at  me  with  curiosity. 

'  Do  you  know,  Monsieur  V '  (I  had  not  seen 

cause  to  disguise  my  identity  on  this  occasion), '  that 
I  think  you  must  be  more  fortunate  than  I  am. 
That  is  to  say,  I  think  you  must  possess  the  confi- 
dence of  a  person  who  has  not  yet  honoured  me  by 
a  sign  that  my  services  are  acceptable  to  him.' 

'Thank  you.  Colonel,'  I  replied,  bowing.  'Your 
message  shall  be  delivered  in  the  right  quarter.' 

I  left  Belgrade  the  same  night,  and  two  days  later 
found  myself  in  the  presence  of  a  quiet,  elderly  man 
in  a  modest  apartment  near  the  famous  Lake 
Leman. 

I  had  sent  in  my  card  with  the  pencilled  addition : 
'  Confidential  agent  of  the  Tsar,  the  German  Emperor, 
and  Monsieur  Chamberlain.' 

I  felt  sure  that  the  names  of  the  powerful  trium- 
virate who,  between  them,  controlled  the  destinies  of 
the  Old  World,  would  secure  me  the  attention  of 
Prince  Peter  Karageorgevitch ;  and  I  was  not  mis- 
taken. 

The  Prince  received  me  with  a  real  or  assumed 
nervousness,  and  expressed  himself  anxious  to  receive 
any  message  I  might  have  for  him. 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   225 

*I  have  no  message  of  any  importance  for  your 
Highness,'  I  replied,  scrutinising  carefull}^  the  care- 
worn features  of  the  elderly  man  who  sat  in  front  of 
me.  *  My  only  message  at  all  is  one  from  Colonel 
Masileff,  which  is  perhaps  not  worth  your  attention.' 

'  I  have  heard  of  the  Colonel,  and  shall  be  pleased 
to  hear  anything  on  his  behalf,'  the  Prince  replied 
cautiously. 

'  Colonel  Masileff  is  a  little  disappointed,  sir,  that 
3'our  Highness  has  not  offered  him  an}^  token  of  your 
approbation.  He  would  welcome  some  sign  that  you 
are  not  indifferent  to  your  friends  in  Servia.' 

Prince  Peter  looked  at  me  with  a  glance  which, 
though  quiet,  was  not  less  searching  than  my 
own. 

'  I  thank  you,  Monsieur  V .     Is  that  all  ? ' 

'  It  is  the  whole  of  the  message,  sir.' 

'  Again,  thank  you.' 

'Your  Highness  does  not  wish  to  make  me  the 
medium  of  your  answer,  perhaps  ? '  I  hinted. 

*  There  is  no  answer.' 

I  perceived  that  I  was  dealing  with  a  man  of  no 
ordinary  penetration  and  shrcAvdncss.  With  such 
men  it  is  always  best  to  come  straight  to  the  point 
and  to  be  frank. 

'  And  now,  sir,  for  the  real  object  of  my  visit.  I 
need  not  tell  your  Highness  that  I  did  not  come  to 
Geneva  to  oblige  Colonel  Masileff.' 

p 


226         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  That  is  already  quite  clear,'  the  Prince  commented 
drily. 

A  remark  from  which  I  inferred  that  it  was  in  the 
power  of  Masileff  to  have  given  me  credentials  which 
would  have  secured  me  a  very  different  reception. 

'  I  have  come  here,  then,  to  beg  for  the  life  of  a 
woman.' 

Karageorgevitch  started  slightly,  and  began  for 
the  first  time  to  look  uneasy. 

'  I  thought  you  said  you  had  no  important  message,' 
he  reminded  me. 

'I  have  none.  The  woman  I  speak  of  is  totally 
ignorant  of  the  step  I  take  in  coming  here.' 

'  Then  your  interest  in  the  matter  is ? ' 

'  Is  personal  merely.  I  make  it  my  private  prayer 
to  your  Highness  that,  in  a  certain  event  which  no 
longer  seems  improbable,  the  life  of  this  woman  shall 
be  spared.' 

Prince  Peter  gave  an  imperceptible  shrug,  a  shrug 
which  said  very  plainly,  nevertheless,  'I  have  no 
motive  for  obliging  you.' 

Aloud  his  Highness  remarked — 

'  I  am  strongly  opposed  to  all  bloodshed.  Monsieur 

Y .     I  feel  sure  there  is  no  reality  in  the  danger 

you  foresee,  or  I  should  be  as  earnest  as  yourself  in 
wishing  to  prevent  it.' 

'  I  can  say  no  more,  sir ;  I  am  here,  as  I  have  said, 
merely  in  my  private  capacity.     Still,  I  happen  to 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   227 

have  rendered  important  services  to  some  very  power- 
ful personages '  (the  Prince  glanced  at  the  names  I 
had  inscribed  on  my  card),  'and,  without  being  a 
blackmailer,  I  feel  confident  that  if  I  appealed  to 
those  personages  for  their  influence  on  behalf  of  a 
righteous  and  honourable  cause,  I  should  not  be 
refused.' 

Prince  Peter  rose  to  his  feet,  and  walked  twice  up 
and  down  the  room  before  replying. 

'  It  is  evident  to  me,'  he  said  at  length,  '  that  you 
have  a  strong  personal  interest  in  the  new  Queen  of 
Servia,  and  that  you  are  a  man  who  is  to  be  trusted. 
That  being  so,  I  will  explain  to  you  frankly  my  posi- 
tion. 1  have  friends  in  Servia  who  desire  to  see  the 
restoration  of  my  dynasty,  and  derive  much  confi- 
dence from  the  misconduct  of  this  youth  in  whom 
the  Obrenovitch  line  terminates. 

'  Their  reports  reach  me  regularly,  and  I  am  there- 
fore able  to  anticipate  their  plans  to  some  extent. 
But  I  have  resolved  that  if  I  am  ever  to  seat  myself  on 
the  Servian  throne,  I  must  keep  my  hands  clean. 
For  that  reason  I  have  never  committed  myself  by 
approving  any  of  the  measures  contemplated  on  my 
behalf 

'  If  Masilcft"  really  told  you  he  never  heard  from 
me,  he  told  you  the  actual  truth.  I  have  never  yet 
returned  any  answer  to  any  of  the  communications  1 
receive  almost  weekly  from  Belgrade.     To  that  rule 


228         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  must  adhere.  All  I  can  promise  you  is  this,  that 
if  hereafter  I  receive  any  information  which  convinces 
me  that  the  life  of  the  Countess  Draga  is  in  danger, 
I  will  at  once  break  silence,  and  send  a  peremptory 
order  to  my  friends  that  she  is  to  be  allowed  to  leave 
the  country  in  safety.' 

I  thanked  the  Servian  prince  for  this  pledge,  which 
was  all  I  had  any  right  to  expect.  The  claimant  to 
a  Crown  could  hardly  be  asked  to  veto  all  attempts 
on  his  behalf  on  the  mere  chance  that  some  of  them 
might  endanger  the  lives  of  the  reigning  family. 

I  returned  to  Paris,  and  sought  to  distract  my- 
self in  my  work  from  brooding  over  the  tragedy 
which  seemed  to  be  shaping  itself  in  the  Servian 
capital. 

As  we  had  both  foreseen,  Queen  Draga  incurred 
the  obloquy  of  the  world  by  marrying  Alexander. 
Her  rejiutation  was  sacrificed  to  his,  and  I  believe 
that  she  deliberately  posed  as  the  instigator  of  all 
his  violent  and  injudicious  measures,  in  the  hope 
of  acting,  so  to  speak,  as  a  conductor  of  the  popular 
wrath,  and  thereby  saving  her  husband. 

Had  she  been  able  at  the  same  time  to  wean 
Alexander  from  his  wild  passion  for  herself,  he  and 
his  dynasty  might  have  been  preserved.  It  is  the 
charitable  view  to  take  that  the  young  King  was  not 
fully  responsible  for  his  acts  at  this  time.  The 
distressing   circumstances    of  his    bringing-up,   the 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   229 

fatal  inheritance  of  his  father's  example  and  influence, 
render  it  impossible  to  regard  Alexsmder  Obrenovitch 
as  a  normal  young  man. 

The  long  period  of  suspense  which  I  passed 
through,  while  watching  from  Paris  over  the  safety 
of  the  Queen  of  Servia,  was  at  last  put  an  end 
to  by  a  cypher  telegram  from  the  agent  whom  I 
had  stationed  in  Belgrade  unknown  even  to  Draga 
herself. 

'  Death  of  King  fixed  for  next  week.  Queen  must 
he  persuiided  to  fly  at  once.' 

The  despatch  reached  me  just  half  an  hour  before 
the  departure  of  the  Oriental  express,  into  which 
I  flung  myself  panting  as  it  began  to  glide  out  of 
the  station. 

My  agent,  warned  from  Vienna,  met  me  as  I 
alighted  in  Belgrade. 

The  pallor  of  his  countenance  told  me  that  he 
had  bad  news  to  communicate. 

'The  worst— instantly ! '  I  exclaimed,  in  Polish, 
a  language  I  have  taught  to  all  the  most  trusted 
members  of  my  staff. 

'  Nothing  has  happened,'  he  stammered  out.  'But 
I  tried  to  give  a  hint  to  the  Queen ;  she  has  passed 
it  on  to  her  husband.  The  conspirators  have  learned 
that  suspicion  has  been  aroused  in  the  Palace; 
and ' 

'And  what?'     I  seized  him  by  the  wrist. 


230         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'The  assassination  is  to  be  carried  out  to-night, 
instead  of  next  week.' 

'  To-night ! ' 

Exhausted  as  I  was  by  the  long  journey,  this  news 
almost  broke  me  down.  I  had  to  lean  against  my 
agent  for  support. 

The  poor  wretch,  conscious  that  he  had  blundered 
disastrously,  dared  not  meet  my  eye,  and  I  felt  him 
trembling. 

It  is  my  maxim  never  to  be  angry  with  an 
employee  except  for  bad  faith.  If  an  agent  of 
mine  blunders  or  breaks  down  I  consider  the  fault 
is  mine  for  having  intrusted  him  with  a  task  be- 
yond his  powers.  Besides,  there  are  no  perfect 
instruments.  In  my  own  career  I  have  made  two 
mistakes. 

Therefore  I  assured  the  unfortunate  man  that  all 
was  well,  since  Queen  Draga  was  yet  alive.  We 
went  together  to  the  house  in  which  my  agent  had 
been  residing  for  some  time  in  the  character  of 
correspondent  of  the  Havas  Agency.  There  I 
assumed  the  Servian  dress  which  he  had  had  the 
forethought  to  prepare  for  me,  and,  disguised  as  a 
sous-officier,  I  set  off  for  the  Palace. 

My  military  uniform  naturally  inspired  confidence 
in  the  sentries,  those  in  the  plot  no  doubt  supposing 
that  I  was  so,  also. 

I  made  my  way  round  to  a  side  entrance,  suitable 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   231 

to  my  apparent  station,  and  there,  by  my  agent's 
advice,  asked  to  see  Anna  Petrovitch,  tlie  waiting- 
maid  who  had  shared  the  Queen's  fortunes  for  many 
years. 

I  was  admitted  without  any  demur,  and  presently 
Anna  herself  appeared.  She  took  me  apart  into  a 
small  chamber  apparently  used  by  the  upper  servants 
of  the  Palace,  and  asked  me  what  I  wanted. 

'I  must  see  the  Queen  immediately,  in  private,' 
I  answered. 

'You  cannot  do  that.  Her  Majesty  is  just  sitting 
down  to  dinner.  What  is  your  name;  and  what 
do  you  want  to  see  her  about  ? ' 

'  My  name  does  not  matter.  I  come  as  a  friend, 
and  I  bring  her  Majesty  a  message  from  one  who 
wishes  her  well.' 

I  knew  that  if  this  woman  were  really  in  Draga's 
confidence  these  words  would  not  fall  unheeded. 

'  Cannot  you  tell  me  something  more  ?  I  will  try 
to  get  you  an  audience  as  soon  as  dinner  is  over, 
provided  I  am  sure  that  you  are  a  friend.' 

'Listen!'  I  bent  forward  and  whispered  in  her 
ear.  '  Have  you  ever  heard  the  Queen  mention  a 
certain  Monsieur  V ? ' 

The  woman  gave  a  start  of  joy,  impossible  to  be 
feigned. 

•  You  come  from  him  ?' 

I  bowed. 


232  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Then  I  will  endeavour  to  let  the  Queen  know  at 
once.     In  the  meantime,  follow  me.' 

Anna  conducted  me  up  one  of  the  back  staircases 
of  the  Palace  and  along  a  corridor,  till  we  arrived 
at  a  door,  which  she  unlocked  with  a  key  taken  out 
of  her  pocket. 

I  found  myself  in  a  small  bedroom,  humbly,  but 
comfortably  furnished. 

'This  is  my  own  room.  The  Queen's  boudoir  is 
reached  through  that  door,'  she  explained,  pointing 
to  it.  'Wait  here,  and  excuse  me  if  I  take  the 
precaution  of  locking  you  in.' 

'Stay,'  I  said  sharply.  'In  situations  like  this  I 
trust  no  one.  Give  me  the  key,  and  I  will  lock 
myself  in,  and  open  to  your  knock.' 

The  servant  made  no  objection,  and  a  signal  was 
arranged  between  us ;  after  which  she  stole  away, 
leaving  me  there  in  the  gathering  dusk,  with  the 
fate  of  a  kingdom  trembling  in  the  balance. 

Of  my  feelings  during  the  next  half  hour  it  would 
be  useless  to  speak.  Murder,  red-armed  and  tiger- 
eyed,  was  whetting  its  knife  against  the  bosom  of 
the  woman  whom  I  would  gladly  have  died  to  save. 
And  I  could  do  nothing  but  stand  there  and  gaze 
furtively  through  the  window  for  the  first  sign  of 
the  approaching  cyclone. 

At  the  end  of  thirty  eternal  minutes  the  expected 
knock   came   at   the   outer  door.     I   took   out  my 


1  took  out  my  loailed  revolver,  cckc-.l  it,  an,l  n-lvanced  t..  il,c 
tlirc-sliold." 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   233 

loaded    revolver,   cocked    it,   and   advanced    to   the 
threshold. 

'  Who  is  there  ? ' 

*  The  Queen's  friend,'  came  the  expected  answer. 

I  unlocked  the  door,  opened  it  just  widely  enough 
to  admit  the  waiting-maid,  and  promptly  shut  and 
locked  it  again. 

'  The  Queen  knows  you  are  here,  but  she  dares  not 
leave  the  table  for  another  half  hour.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  she  will  be  in  her  boudoir,  and  will 
admit  us.' 

I  took  out  my  watch,  and  cursed  each  dilatory  hand, 

*  Is  the  danger  so  pressing,  then  ? '  asked  the 
frightened  woman. 

'  I  do  not  know  how  pressing  it  is,'  I  answered 
gloomily.  '  I  cannot  even  be  sure  that  Queen  Draga 
will  be  suffered  to  leave  that  table  alive.' 

'Oh,  you  are  mistaken  there!'  Anna  exclaimed. 
'  My  mistress  is  safe.  She  has  had  a  private  assur- 
ance that  she  will  be  allowed  to  flee.' 

'  Has  she  fled  ? '  I  retorted.  I  thought  I  knew 
Draga  better  than  her  servant  did. 

Silence  followed.  The  knowledge  that  Prince 
Peter  had  evidently  contrived  to  give  orders  on 
behalf  of  the  Queen,  in  the  event  of  violence  being 
employed,  soothed  me  to  some  extent.  Nevertheless, 
a  sad  and  terrible  presentiment  warned  me  to  expect 
the  worst. 


234         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

A  low  scratching  on  the  inner  door,  that  leading 
into  the  Royal  boudoir,  told  us  that  the  victim  was 
still  alive.  A  bolt  was  withdrawn,  and  the  next 
moment  I  found  myself  in  Queen  Draga's  presence. 

It  was  the  same  woman  whom  I  had  left  a  few 
years  ago,  in  the  full  bloom  of  her  womanhood, 
but  how  changed,  how  stricken !  The  harassed 
brow,  the  hunted  look  in  the  eyes,  the  grey  streaks 
in  the  hair,  all  told  me  what  the  difference  had 
been  between  the  lot  of  the  Queen  and  the  simple 
Countess. 

'  You  are  from  Monsieur ? '  she  whispered. 

I  drew  myself  up.  Recognition  flashed  in  her 
eyes. 

'  You  are  Andrea !  * 

That  word  rejDaid  me  for  everything.  I  went 
down  on  one  knee,  and  pressed  her  offered  fingers 
to  my  lips. 

It  was  only  by  the  light  of  the  moon  that  we 
were  able  to  see  each  other.  Anna  was  moving 
towards  the  key  of  the  electric  lamps,  but  the 
Queen  forbade  her  with  a  gesture. 

'  Now,  tell  me,  what  is  it  ? ' 

'  You  must  this  very  minute  put  on  Anna's  dress, 
and  leave  the  Palace  with  me.  We  shall  go  straight 
to  the  railway,  where  my  agent  has  by  this  time 
chartered  a  special  train.' 

Drasfa  drew  back  unconvinced. 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   235 

'  The  assassination  is  fixed  for  next  Tuesday/  she 
declared. 

'  It  is  fixed  for  to-night.' 

'  To-night  ?     You  must  be  mistaken.' 

I  smiled  bitterly. 

'The  Tsar  of  Russia  has  never  said  that  to  me, 
madam.' 

'  But  how  ? — when  ? — Your  own  agent  told  me — 
if  he  was  your  agent ' 

I  waved  my  hand  impatiently. 

'  All  that  was  true  three  days  ago,  madam.  Your 
Majesty  told  King  Alexander,  and  the  conspirators 
have  advanced  the  hour  in  consequence.' 

For  the  first  time  the  heroic  woman  turned  pale, 
and  began  to  tremble. 

*  At  what  hour  to-night  is  it  ? ' 

*  I  have  not  ascertained.  For  ought  I  know  the 
assassins  are  at  this  moment  surrounding  the  Palace. 
There  may  be  just  time  for  you  to  leave.' 

'  But  the  King !     Alexander  !     My  husband  1' 

*  I  do  not  think  there  will  bo  time  for  him  to  leave 
as  well,'  I  said  gravely. 

Queen  Drai^a  threw  one  hand  across  her  breast 
with  a  superb  defiance. 

'  I  do  not  go  without  my  husband,  sir.' 

I  was  torn  between  admiration  and  despair. 

'  I  should  have  done  better  to  remain  in  Paris,  I 
perceive,'  I  said  sullenly. 


236         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  On  the  contrary,  dear  Andrea,  I,  who  know  you 
so  well,  know  that  you  have  the  heroism  of  soul  to 
save  the  man  you  hate  at  the  prayer  of  the  woman 
you  love.' 

I  stood  thunderstruck,  while  she  crossed  the  room 
into  the  adjoining  bedchamber,  and  sounded  a  silver 
bell. 

'  Inform  his  Majesty  that  I  desire  to  see  him  very 
particularly  as  soon  as  possible.' 

The  servant  who  had  answered  the  bell  bowed 
and  withdrew,  with  startled  looks,  from  which  I 
was  inclined  to  suspect  that  he  was  in  the  pay  of 
the  assassins.  Fortunately,  he  had  not  been  able 
to  see  me  where  I  stood. 

The  Queen  now  began  hurriedly  to  change  her 
dress  for  one  more  suitable  for  the  emergency. 
Meanwhile  there  was  no  sign  that  her  message  had 
reached  Alexander. 

'You  have  been  betrayed,  madam,'  I  observed  at 
last.  '  That  servant  was  a  traitor.  I  saw  it  in  his 
face.' 

Draga  uttered  a  cry  of  despair. 

'  You,  Anna,  you  go  and  bring  the  King  here  at 
all  costs.' 

Anna  darted  out  of  the  room. 

The  Queen,  too  terribly  anxious  to  go  on  with 
her  own  preparations  for  flight,  paced  the  room  like 
a  lioness  listening  for  the  approach  of  the  hunters. 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   237 

Five  minutes  passed — ten  minutes — a  quarter  of 
a  year !  Then  a  step  was  heard  in  the  adjoining 
room,  and  the  young  King  of  Servia,  his  dark  face 
flushed  with  wrath,  strode  in. 

'  What  is  all  this  ?  Are  you  trying  to  frighten 
me,  Draga  ? ' 

He  saw  me  and  stopped,  at  the  same  time  putting 
his  hand  to  his  side  where  his  sword  should  have 
been.     The  weapon  was  missing,  perhaps  by  accident. 

'  This  is  our  best  friend,  Alexander.  He  has  come 
to  save  us.  The  assassins  have  changed  their  plans, 
and  will  be  here  to-night.  A  special  train  has  been 
got  ready,  and  if  you  can  leave  the  Palace  in  disguise, 
all  will  be  well.' 

The  ascendency  of  a  powerful  intellect  in  the 
moment  of  danger  made  itself  felt.  Alexander 
looked  about  him,  half-dazed,  as  the  poor  youth 
well  might  be,  by  the  ghastly  imminence  of  the 
peril. 

'What  disguise  can  I  wear?*  he  demanded,  in  a 
choked  voice. 

'  Change  clothes  with  your  valet,'  the  Queen  replied, 
with  feminine  quickness.  '  This  gentleman  affirms 
that  he  is  one  of  the  conspirators.' 

'  Constantino  !     Impossible !     I  do  not  believe  it.' 

Draga  wrung  her  hands. 

'  I  cannot  save  him.     He  is  obstinate  ! '  she  sobbed. 

The  sob   conquered    the   stubborn    narrow    mind 


238         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

which  would  have  resisted  all  argument.  Alexander 
darted  into  his  dressing-room,  from  which  the  valet 
was  just  trying  to  escape. 

Seizing  the  man  by  the  throat,  Alexander  dealt 
him  a  blow  on  the  temple  which  deprived  him  of 
his  senses.  I  had  followed  his  Majesty,  and  I  now 
stripped  the  valet  while  the  King  hastily  undressed. 
While  the  King  was  assuming  the  disguise  thus  pro- 
vided for  him,  I  carried  the  insensible  man  into  the 
bedroom,  and  placed  him  between  the  royal  sheets. 

At  this  moment  the  white  face  of  Anna  Petrovitch 
appeared  in  the  doorway  beyond. 

'  They  are  coming  !  I  see  them  outside  in  the 
courtyard.' 

'  Quick,  quick ! '  burst  from  the  lips  of  Queen 
Draga,  whose  self-possession  seemed  almost  un- 
natural. And  she  pushed  her  husband  towards  the 
door  of  his  own  dressing-room. 

'  This  way  ? '  he  exclaimed,  his  mind  unable  to 
keep  pace  with  hers. 

'  Yes.  You  are  Constantine.  You  are  in  the  plot, 
remember.  You  must  let  them  in  to  kill  your 
master,  who  is  asleep.' 

I  shuddered.  My  suspicion — for  it  was  hardly 
more — was  going  to  be  fatal  to  the  valet. 

'Go  with  him,'  Queen  Draga  added,  turning  to 
me.  '  I  am  safe.  I  need  neither  protection  nor 
guidance.     He  needs  both.     I  adjure  you,  Andrea ! ' 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   239 

Swept  away  by  the  torrent  of  her  impetuosity,  I 
followed  Alexander  to  the  dressing-room 

Draga  herself  came  to  the  door,  and  closed  it 
sottly  after  us. 

We  were  just  in  time  to  meet  a  party  of  a  dozen 
soldiers,  headed  by  Colonel  MasilefF  himself. 

Stepping  past  the  young  King,  who  was  shaking 
like  a  leaf,  I  whispered  in  Masileft's  ear— 

'  ^;  }^f'  «r  you  will  awake  him.  He  is  lying  on 
the  bed,  drunk.'  ^ 

The  soldiers  filed  in  past  us,  not  one  casting  so 
much  as  a  glance  at  our  faces,  shrouded  by  the 
darkness. 

The  moment  tl,e  last  man  had  stepped  aeross  the 
threshold  of  the  dressing-room,  I  took  Alexander 
by  the  arm  and  drew,  or  rather  dragged,  him  out 
mto  the  corridor,  and  down  the  great  staircase  of 
the  Palace. 

We  passed  out  unquestioned.  It  did  not  occur 
to  one  of  the^en  whom  we  found  outside  that 
Masileff  could  have  missed  his  prey 

My  uniform  was  enough  to  disarm  suspicion,  for 
-t  was  that  of  a  regiment  in  which  every  man  had 
sworn  on  the  Gospel  not  to  let  Alexander  escape 
alive.     My  agent  had  served  me  well 

We  found  him  at  the  station.  The  special  train 
was  ready,  with  steam  up,  waiting  f„r  the  signal  to 
place  us  m  safety  on  the  soil  of  Austria 


240         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  made  Alexander  take  his  seat  in  the  meanest 
compartment,  while  I  waited  outside  the  station  for 
the  appearance  of  the  two  women, 

I  waited  a  long  time. 

From  the  town,  all  buried  in  darkness,  there  came 
sounds  of  tumult  and  exultation,  which  must  have 
shaken  the  heart  of  the  young  man  in  the  train. 

It  was  not  till  I  had  been  there  for  nearly  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  that  I  saw  one  female  form 
creeping  feebly  along  the  road  towards  the  station. 

I  darted  out  to  meet  her,  and  uttered  an  oath. 

Anna  Petrovitch  fell  weeping  into  my  arms,  with 
the  doleful  cry :  '  Queen  Draga  is  dead !  Queen 
Draga  is  dead ! ' 

Five  minutes  later  I  had  placed  the  desolate 
creature  in  the  train,  and  we  were  speeding  on  our 
way  to  Vienna. 

It  was  in  the  train  that  I  learned  the  few  parti- 
culars that  Anna  had  to  tell.  But  I  had  already 
guessed  the  nature  of  the  catastrophe. 

Another  party  of  soldiers,  headed  by  a  personal 
enemy  of  the  Queen's,  had  invaded  the  Royal  suite 
through  the  waiting-maid's  room  at  the  instant 
that  Masileff  and  his  men  burst  into  the  bedroom 
where  the  valet  was  lying  insensible.  Whether 
Draga's  life  might  really  have  been  spared  or  not,  it 
is  impossible  to  say.  The  heroic  woman's  resolution 
was  instantly  taken.   She  knew  that  if  the  valet  were 


'Queen  Draga  cast  lierself  on  the  iiiaiiimali'  form  on  llu-  l)c-(l,  concealed 
the  face  in  her  arms,  and  allowed  lierself  to  be  slabhed  by  a  do/.en 
bayonets." 


THE  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  DRAGA   241 

recognised  there  would  at  once  be  a  hue  and  cry,  and 
that  the  King  would  be  pursued  and  probably  taken ; 
and  she  resolved  to  give  her  life  for  her  husband's. 
She  cast  herself  on  the  inanimate  form  lying  on  the 
bed,  concealed  the  face  in  her  arms,  and  allowed 
herself  to  be  stabbed  by  a  dozen  bayonets. 

Of  the  savage  details  of  the  murder  I  dare  not 
trust  myself  to  write.  To  those  who  know  how 
thin  is  the  veneer  of  civilisation  on  the  Southern 
Slaves,  how  faint  is  the  moral  difference  between  some 
of  these  so-called  Christians  and  their  Mohammedan 
neighbours,  it  will  not  come  as  a  surprise  to  learn 
that  when  the  bloodhounds  desisted  from  their  work 
there  was  no  longer  any  possibility  of  recognising 
either  of  their  victims. 

Of  the  young  King,  and  what  has  become  of  him 
since  that  hideous  night,  I  intend  to  say  no  single 
word.  Of  her  who  perished,  let  no  man  henceforth 
say  anything  but  good. 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII. 

It  is  always  a  delicate  matter  for  a  foreigner  to 
write  about  the  Sovereign  of  another  country  in 
such  a  way  as  to  be  acceptable  to  his  subjects.  In 
case  I,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  should  unwit- 
tingly offend  any  English  prejudices  in  the  following 
narrative,  I  can  only  assure  my  readers  that  I  am 
actuated  by  no  feeling  but  that  of  the  most  sincere 
respect  for  the  greatest  of  living  Sovereigns  and  the 
mighty  people  over  whom  he  reigns. 

In  the  summer  of  1902  the  whole  world  was  dis- 
mayed by  the  news  that  the  Coronation  of  King 
Edward  YII.  had  been  postponed  at  the  last  moment, 
on  account  of  his  Majesty's  grave  state  of  health. 

The  Governments  of  the  Continent,  ever  distrust- 
ful, and  prone  to  credit  others  with  their  own 
Machiavellian  statecraft,  eagerly  asked  themselves 
if  the  official  explanation  of  this  event  was  genuine, 
or  whether  it  did  not  conceal  some  subtle  political 
purpose. 

As  a  result,  I  found  myself  commissioned  by  a 

242 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  YII.         243 

certain  great  Power  to  go  over  to  London,  and  ascer- 
tain the  true  state  of  affairs. 

Needless  to  say,  my  inquiries  enabled  me  in  a  very 
short  time  to  report  to  my  employers  that  their  sus- 
picions were  groundless. 

In  the  course  of  the  brief  investigation  I  was 
brought  into  personal  touch  with  a  man  of  high 
rank,  occupying  a  confidential  position  in  the  Royal 
Household — the  Marquis  of  Bedale.  The  manner  in 
which  I  carried  out  my  delicate  mission  caused 
Lord  Bedale  to  compliment  me  highly  upon  my 
courage  and  discretion,  and  I  have  every  reason  to 
think  that  his  lordship  spoke  in  favourable  terms  of 
me  to  his  exalted  master. 

Before  I  left  England  I  was  surprised  and  gratified 
to  receive  a  request  from  Lord  Bedale  to  wait  upon 
him  in  his  private  apartment  in  Buckingham  Palace, 
on  confidential  business.^ 

His  lordship  received  me  in  the  friendliest  fashion, 
and  talked  to  me  quite  freely. 

'  Let  me  begin,'  he  said,  '  by  asking  you  for  your 
frank  opinion  on  our  Secret  Service.' 

'  The  Secret  Service  of  Great  Britain  is  the  most 
scrupulously  conducted  in  the  world,'  I  rejilied 
discreetly. 

^  As  I  have  stated  already,  whenever  in  the  course  of  those 
disclosures  I  repeat  a  private  conversation,  I  do  so  in  the  interest 
of  the  other  party  to  it,  if  not  in  every  case  with  his  express  per- 
mission.— A.  V. 


244         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Lord  Bedale  gave  me  a  queer  smile. 

'That  means,  I  suppose,  that  it  is  the  most  in- 
efficient ? '  he  suggested. 

'  It  is  the  worst  paid,'  I  said,  by  way  of  extenua- 
tion. '  I  have  heard  that  the  total  amount  voted  for 
this  purpose  by  the  British  Parliament  is  only 
£40,000,  but  that  sounds  incredible.' 

'  I  am  afraid  it  is  not  far  from  the  truth,'  Lord 
Bedale  answered.  '  We  have  acted  in  the  belief  that 
the  British  Empire  was  too  strong  to  care  about  what 
its  enemies  were  planning.' 

'I  should  think  the  Boer  War  must  have  made 
you  realise  that  such  a  policy  was  not  the  cheapest 
in  the  long  run,'  I  ventured  to  remark. 

'  It  has  shown  me  so,  at  all  events,'  he  answered, 
'and  possibly  some  others.     You  will  not  offend  me 

in  the  least,  Monsieur  V ,  if  you  tell  me  plainly 

that  you  consider  our  Intelligence  Department  the 
weakest  branch  of  our  Foreign  Service,  and  utterly 
unworthy  of  an  Empire  with  such  world-wide  interests 
as  ours.' 

I  was  obliged  to  admit  that  such  was  my  opinion. 
His  lordship  proceeded. 

'  This  state  of  things  constitutes  a  national  danger. 
In  a  country  like  ours,  run  on  democratic  lines,  it 
is  almost  hopeless  to  look  to  Parliament  for  any 
improvement.  The  only  remedy  is  for  some  one 
who  has  the  interests  of  his   country  at  heart   to 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.        245 

supplement  the  work  of  the  public  service  by  a 
private  mtelligence  department  conducted  at  his 
own  expense,  just  as  in  the  case  of  a  newspaper 
proprietor.' 

I  gave  the  speaker  a  quick  glance  of  interrogation. 
I  happened  to  be  aware  that  the  Marquis,  in  spite  of 
his  high  rank,  was  not  a  very  wealthy  man,  and  it 
was  therefore  clear  to  me  that  he  was  not  speaking 
of  himself. 

'Such  a  person  as  you  describe  would,  indeed, 
deserve  well  of  his  country,'  was  all  I  thought  it 
prudent  to  say. 

'I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  consider  me  as  the 
person  concerned,'  Lord  Bedale  said  in  a  tone  which 
warned  me  that  I  was  on  delicate  ground.  '  I  have 
sent  for  you  to  ask  if  you  will  accept  a  commission 
from  me  to  act  as  a  Secret  Service  agent  in  the 
interests  of  Great  Britain.' 

I  hesitated.  It  is  my  fixed  rule  to  deal  only  with 
principals,  and  I  could  not  escape  the  conclusion  that 
Lord  Bedale  was  merely  the  agent  of  another. 

'  Will  you  let  me  ask  your  lordship  one  question  ?' 
I  said.  '  Do  you  offer  me  this  commission  as  a  private 
citizen  solely,  or  am  I  at  liberty  to  infer,  from  your 
position  in  the  Royal  Household,  that  you  have' no 
concealments  from  the  exalted  personage  you  serve, 
and  that  by  accepting  your  offer  I  shall,  in  effect, 
be  serving  his  Majesty  ? ' 


246         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

The  Marquis  studied  my  face  carefully  before 
answering, 

'It  seems  to  me  that  such  an  inference  is  right 
and  natural,  and  one  that  you  are  bound  to  make/ 
he  said  slowly. 

'  Then  I  shall  feel  highly  honoured  by  accepting,'  I 
returned,  bowing. 

The  question  of  terms  was  disposed  of  to  our 
mutual  satisfaction.  I  came  away  from  the  Palace 
filled  with  reverence  for  the  monarch  who,  unless  I 
were  completely  deceived,  had  decided  to  contribute 
out  of  his  private  purse  to  the  defence  of  the  great 
Empire  whose  politicians  were  so  neglectful  of  its 
safety. 

On  my  return  to  Paris  I  set  to  work  to  organise 
a  special  department  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
intelligence  likely  to  be  of  importance  to  the  British 
Empire. 

I  was  amused  to  find  that  several  of  the  secret 
agents  in  the  service  of  the  British  Foreign  Ofiice 
were  receiving  much  larger  salaries  from  the  Russian 
Government  than  from  the  one  they  were  supposed 
to  act  for.  Among  other  similar  discoveries  my 
agents  reported  to  me  that  a  certain  British  Vice- 
Con  sul  in  the  Euphrates  Valley,  a  Greek  by  extrac- 
tion, had  secretly  taken  out  letters  of  naturalisation 
as  a  German  subject.  It  was  on  this  man's  recom- 
mendation chiefly  that  the  British  Government  had 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  YII.        24V 

been  induced  to  give  its  countenance  to  the  project 
for  a  German  railway  to  Baghdad. 

I  duly  forwarded  this  and  other  items  to  Lord 
Bedale,  but  I  could  not  perceive  that  any  notice  was 
taken  of  them  by  the  Foreign  Office.  Probably  the 
permanent  staff  resented  the  idea  that  they  were 
being  checked  and  inspected,  and  determined  to  show 
that  they  were  not  going  to  let  even  their  monarch 
interfere  with  them. 

But  all  this  was  merely  preliminary.  I  was  on  the 
eve  of  a  discovery  of  so  much  moment  that  I  have 
often  asked  myself  since  whether,  but  for  me,  the 
British  Empire  would  be  in  existence  to-day. 

Newspaper  readers  may  recollect  that  not  very 
long  ago  a  sharp  passage  of  words  took  place  between 
a  German  Minister  and  an  English  statesman  whom 
I  will  not  indicate  more  closely  in  the  present  excited 
state  of  party  politics.  Although  in  appearance  but  a 
quarrel  of  Ministers,  it  was  perfectly  well  understood 
on  the  Continent  that  the  Count  von  Billow  was  only 
the  mouthpiece  of  his  Imperial  master  on  this  occa- 
sion. Europe  gasped  at  the  spectacle  of  this  poUtical 
thunderstorm,  in  which  the  lurking  hatred  of  Germany 
towards  England  was  for  the  first  time  brought  to  the 
surface,  and  exposed. 

I  knew  the  character  of  both  of  these  formidable 
peoples  too  well  to  believe  that  the  incident  Avould 
have  no  after  effects.     As  by  the  glare  of  a  lightning- 


248         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

flash,  there  stood  revealed  before  me  the  figures  of 
the  two  great  protagonists,  contending  together  for 
the  mastery  in  a  war  raging  over  three  continents. 

Very  soon  after  Lord  Bedale,  or  whoever  stood 
behind  him,  had  confided  the  safety  of  Great 
Britain  to  my  care,  I  repaired  in  disguise  to  BerHn. 
My  instinct  taught  me  that  this  capital  was  the  true 
storm-centre,  and  that  from  here,  rather  than  St. 
Petersburg,  would  be  directed  the  designs  of  any 
really  dangerous  movement  against  the  country  of 
Edward  VII. 

My  first  visit  after  my  arrival  was  paid  to  the 
Director  of  the  Imperial  Secret  Service,  my  old 
friend  Finkelstein.  I  felt  it  would  be  impossible  for 
me  to  remain  long  in  the  German  capital  without 
my  presence  becoming  known  to  this  astute  chief  of 
police,  and  I  deemed  it  the  most  prudent  course 
to  throw  him  off  his  guard  at  the  outset. 

I  caused  myself  to  be  announced  as  Father 
d'Aurignac,  of  the  Order  of  the  Assumptionists. 
My  assumed  character  completely  imposed  on  Finkel- 
stein, and  I  opened  the  conversation  by  saying — 

'I  have  come  here  in  consequence  of  the  perse- 
cution of  the  Order  now  being  carried  on  by  the 
French  Republic.  We  are  obliged  to  seek  other 
homes,  it  being  impossible  for  us  to  remain  in 
France.  A  large  number  of  houses  have  been 
transferred   to   England,    but    my    brethren    and    I 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.         249 

detest  that  country  so  much  that  we  wish  to  settle 
in  Germany  instead.  I  have  been  deputed  to  ascer- 
tain what  treatment  we  are  likely  to  receive  at  the 
hands  of  the  authorities.' 

'That  is  not  in  my  department,'  Finkelstein 
answered.  'You  should  apply  to  the  Minister  of 
the  Interior.' 

'You  misunderstand  me,'  I  returned  smoothly. 
'I  do  not  doubt  that  we  shall  be  permitted  to 
settle  here.  The  question  is,  how  much  inde- 
pendence we  shall  enjoy  from  police  supervision. 
In  France  we  were  always  able  to  maintain  ex- 
ceedingly friendly  relations  with  the  police.  We 
are,  of  course,  a  very  wealthy  Order.' 

Finkelstein's  eyes  sparkled.  I  knew  that  he  was 
in  receipt  of  a  secret  pension  from  the  exiled  claimant 
to  the  throne  of  a  State  annexed  by  Prussia  in  1866. 
It  was  evident  that  he  was  perfectly  ready  to  do 
business. 

'  You  will  find  that  the  Berlin  police  exercise  the 
greatest  tact  towards  communities  of  high  character 
like  yours,'  he  said  eagerly. 

I  lay  back  in  my  chair  and  threw  off  my  hood,  as 
I  observed — 

'My  dear  Finkelstein,  I  see  that  you  are  not 
changed.' 

The  Director's  consternation  was  quite  laughable 
to  witness. 


250         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Y ! '  he  exclaimed,  drawing  back  as  if  lie  had 


been  stung ;  then  he  added,  in  a  tone  of  hesitation : 
'  My  old  friend  ? ' 

'Yes;  your  friend — and  your  ally,  if  you  will 
accept  him  as  such/  I  said  cordially. 

Finkelstein  looked  immensely  relieved.  He  was 
well  aware  that  the  Kaiser  did  not  accord  him  his 
complete  confidence,  and  he  must  have  feared  that 
I  had  come  to  him,  as  on  a  former  occasion,  as  the 
Kaiser's  agent. 

'  My  dear  V ,  any  friendship   and   assistance 

that  I  can  give  you  are  at  your  service  at  all  times,' 
he  hastened  to  assure  me. 

'It  is  understood,  then,  is  it  not,  that  we  are  to 
stand  by  each  other  ?  If  I  undertake  to  report 
favourably  of  you  in  a  certain  quarter,  you  will  give 
me  your  confidence  ? ' 

'  That  is  always  understood  between  Secret  Service 
agents  who  are  men  of  honour,'  the  German  re- 
sponded. 

We  shook  hands  with  great  warmth. 

'  Now,'  I  said,  '  I  can  afford  to  be  perfectly  frank.' 

Finkelstein  glanced  at  me  with  the  suspicion  which 
such  a  declaration  was  certain  to  provoke. 

'  I  am  here,  this  time,  in  the  interests  of  Russia.' 

The  Director  met  my  eye  with  a  look  of  polite 
incredulity. 

'Distrust    has    been    awakened    in    the   Russian 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.        251 

Council  of  State  by  this  Venezuelan  affair,  in  which 
Germany  has  been  much  too  friendly  with  England. 
It  is  necessary  to  ascertain  exactly  what  the  Kaiser's 
views  and  intentions  really  are.  He  is  either  deceiv- 
ing the  Tsar,  or  deceiving  the  English,  and  I  have  to 
find  out  which.  For  this  purpose  I  must  pass  a 
night  in  the  Emperor's  private  cabinet.' 

'But  surely  that  is  not  a  difficult  thing  for  you 
to  manage,'  observed  Finkelstein,  with  evident  dis- 
trust, 'His  Majesty  trusts  you  implicitly,  does  he 
not?' 

'  He  may  trust  me  as  a  spy  on  you,  and  3-et  not 
confide  to  me  his  political  designs,'  I  answered. 
'  The  truth  is  that  the  Kaiser  is  on  his  guard.  He 
knows  that  he  is  being  watched,  and  just  now  he 
distrusts  everybody — his  own  police  most  of  all,'  I 
added  pointedly. 

The  Director  put  his  hand  to  his  head,  with  a 
gesture  of  despair. 

'  It  comes  to  this,'  he  cried  pathetically,  '  that 
unless  I  betray  him  you  will  report  to  him  that  I 
am  a  traitor ! ' 

'You  should  have  thought  of  that  before  you 
accepted  the  money  of  the  Duke  of  Heligoland,'  I 
retorted,  naming  the  Royal  exile  referred  to  above. 

The  German  sighed,  and  hung  his  head. 

'  The  Russian  Government  is  not  less  wealthy  than 
the  Order  of  Assumptionists,'  I  added. 


252         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Finkelstein  brightened  up  again.  A  man  of  such 
mercurial  temperament  was  most  unfit  for  his 
position. 

As  soon  as  it  became  a  question  of  terms  between 
us  I  knew  that  the  battle  was  won.  The  German 
really  hated  and  feared  Russia,  like  all  his  country- 
men, and  had  it  been  prudent  to  do  so,  I  should 
have  been  glad  to  relieve  his  mind. 

It  was  an  easy  matter  for  him  to  make  the  required 
arranofements.      A  hint   to   the  commander  of  the 

o 

regiment  which  supplied  the  Palace  guard  that  some 
theft  had  taken  place,  and  that  a  detective's  presence 
was  necessary,  was  sufficient.  At  the  hour  of  eleven, 
the  Kaiser's  time  for  retiring,  I  found  myself  in  the 
uniform  of  a  Prussian  soldier,  pacing  the  corridor 
which  gave  access  to  his  Majesty's  cabinet. 

Secured  from  suspicion  by  the  character  in  which 
I  had  entered  the  Palace,  I  lost  no  time  in  unlocking 
the  door  of  the  room  by  means  of  a  key  invented 
by  myself.  I  must  be  excused  from  describing  its 
mechanism  in  these  pages ;  but  the  only  lock  against 
which  it  is  powerless  is  the  familiar  letter  padlock. 

As  soon  as  I  was  inside  I  closed  the  door  again. 
I  did  not  venture  to  turn  on  the  electric  light,  but 
made  use  of  a  dark  lantern  I  had  brought  with  me, 
to  explore  the  chamber. 

In  front  of  me  stood  his  Majesty's  writing-table, 
covered  with  despatch  boxes.    I  considered  it  useless 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.         253 

to  open  them,  and  turned  my  eyes  round  the  room 
in  search  of  some  more  secret  receptacle. 

At  first  no  sign  of  anything  of  the  kind  I  sought 
was  visible.  There  were  cupboards,  but  they  were 
not  even  locked.  The  walls  were  hung  with  maps, 
among  which  my  eye  was  particularly  caught  by  a 
chart  of  the  world  on  Mercator's  projection,  on  which 
the  various  possessions  of  Great  Britain  were  indi- 
cated by  small  red  flags  attached  to  pins.  It  seemed 
to  me  an  ominous  thing  that  such  a  map,  so  marked, 
should  be  ever  before  the  eyes  of  the  ablest  Con- 
tinental ruler,  who  was  known  to  be  feverishly  at 
work  building  a  navy  fit  to  contend  with  that  of 
England. 

In  a  reflective  mood  I  stepped  towards  the  map 
and  looked  at  it.  The  flag  which  marked  New 
Zealand  had  sagged  down  slightly,  as  though  less 
firmly  thrust  in  than  the  rest.  Without  stopping  to 
think  what  I  was  doing,  I  took  hold  of  the  pin  and 
pressed  it  into  the  wall. 

To  my  surprise  I  felt  a  resistance  which  at  once 
accounted  for  the  loose  position  in  which  I  had 
found  the  flag.  I  removed  one  of  the  other  pins, 
and  found  it  went  into  the  wall  without  any  difficulty. 
It  was  therefore  clear  that  at  the  particular  part  of 
the  wall  covered  by  New  Zealand  there  existed  some 
obstacle,  probably  of  a  metallic  nature. 

Once  convinced  of  this,  I  had  no  doubt  as  to  my 


254         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

next  step.  I  drew  out  the  whole  of  the  pins  in  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  chart,  and  rolled  it  back. 

I  was  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  a  dark  round  patch 
on  the  wall-paper,  beneath  which  I  could  detect  the 
presence  of  a  metallic  disk  or  knob.  I  pressed  it 
boldly,  and  a  square  section  of  the  wall  opened  out 
on  a  hinge,  revealing  a  small  cupboard,  secured  by  a 
black  seal  showing  the  impress  of  the  Emperor's 
signet,  with  which  I  was  sufficiently  familiar. 

This  discovery  placed  me  in  an  awkward  position. 
There  was  no  time  for  me  to  counterfeit  the  seal, 
and  if  I  broke  it,  it  was  evident  that  Wilhelm  II. 
must  know  that  his  hiding-place  had  been  tampered 
with. 

The  prudence  I  had  shown  in  deahng  with  Einkel- 
stein  was  now  invaluable  to  me.  At  the  worst  the 
Kaiser  would  learn  that  his  secrets  were  in  the  hands 
of  a  Russian  spy,  and  my  real  employer  would  be 
unknown.  It  was  this  reflection  which  emboldened 
me  to  proceed. 

I  broke  the  seal,  opened  the  cupboard,  and  found 
a  pile  of  papers  which  I  took  to  the  writing-table  to 
look  through. 

The  papers  were  enclosed  in  what  is  styled  in 
Government  Departments  a  'jacket' — a  large  sheet 
of  paper  folded  to  form  a  cover.  The  outside  of  this 
jacket  was  endorsed  in  the  Kaiser's  well-known  hand 
— '  European  Zollverein.' 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.         255 

Those  words  told  me  all.  The  daring  brain  of 
Wilhelm  II.  had  revived  the  idea  which  the  great 
Napoleon  embodied  in  his  famous  Milan  Decrees. 
The  whole  of  the  Powers  of  the  Continent  were  to 
be  united  in  a  Customs  League  against  Great  Britain. 

Russia  and  Austria,  I  saw,  had  eagerly  welcomed 
the  proposal.  Spain  and  Turkey,  with  the  Balkan 
States,  were  also  committed  to  it.  So  were  Belgium 
and  Holland,  the  first  in  revenge  for  British  criticism 
of  the  Congo  Free  State,  the  second  on  account  of 
the  Boer  War.  Sweden  and  Denmark  were  evidently 
disinclined  to  the  scheme,  but  unable  to  resist  the 
pressure  put  upon  them.  Only  three  countries  still 
held  out  firmly — France,  Italy,  and  Portugal. 

The  opposition  of  France  seemed  to  be  due  partly 
to  the  fact  that  Great  Britain  was  her  largest 
customer,  and  partly  to  dislike  of  any  proposal 
coming  from  Germany.  Italy  and  Portugal  seemed 
to  realise  that  their  own  fate  was  bound  up  with 
that  of  England,  and  to  view  with  dread  the  prospect 
of  weakening  the  British  power. 

I  had  just  finished  reading  the  spirited  protest 
of  little  Portugal,  contained  in  a  private  autograph 
letter  from  Dom  Carlos  to  the  German  Emperor, 
when  the  room  was  suddenly  flashed  with  the  full 
glare  of  the  electric  light.  I  looked  up  and  saw  his 
Majesty  standing  before  mo,  in  full  uniform,  with  his 
sword  drawn  in  his  hand. 


256         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  had  reckoned  without  Wilhelm  II.  when  I  under- 
took my  perilous  enterprise.  The  colonel  of  the 
guard,  it  appeared,  had  reported  that  a  detective 
had  been  admitted  into  the  Palace  by  Finkelstein's 
request.  The  Kaiser  had  thought  little  of  the 
matter  at  first,  but  later  on  his  curiosity  had  be- 
come too  strong  for  him,  and  he  had  decided  to 
find  out  for  himself  what  was  going  on. 

I  confess  that  for  the  first  and  only  time  in  my 
life  I  turned  cold  with  fear,  as  the  sudden  appari- 
tion of  the  armed  Emperor  burst  on  my  startled 
consciousness. 

'  Arrest  that  man ! '  he  commanded,  without  giving 
me  time  to  speak. 

Two  soldiers  advanced  from  the  corridor  and 
pinioned  me  by  the  arms.  Then  the  Kaiser  himself 
stepped  forward,  seized  the  papers  I  had  been 
studying,  and  thrust  them  into  his  breast. 

'Order  a  firing-party  with  ball  cartridges  to 
get  ready  in  the  inner  courtyard,'  was  the  next 
command. 

All  this  time  it  was  evident  that  the  Kaiser  had 
not  recognised  me.  Indeed,  my  disguise  was  so 
perfect  that  I  felt  quite  secure  on  that  head.  The 
question  was  whether  it  would  make  matters  worse 
or  better  for  me  if  I  revealed  my  identity. 

'Now,'  his  Majesty  demanded,  turning  to  me, 
•  who  are  you,  and  what  are  you  doing  here  ? ' 


"  'Arrc^1l   tliat   man  I  '   the   Kaiser  commanded,  witliout  giving  liini 
time  to  speak." 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.        257 

'Does  your  Majesty  wish  me  to  speak  before  these 
men?' 

The  Kaiser  hesitated. 

'  Yes,'  he  said  at  last ;  '  speak  out.' 

I  shrugged  my  shoulders. 

'I  am  here  as  the  agent  of  the  Federal  Council,' 
I  declared.  The  Federal  Council,  as  most  readers 
will  remember,  is  the  Senate  of  the  German  Empire. 
It  represents  more  especially  the  dynasties  of  Bavaria, 
Saxony,  and  the  other  small  kingdoms  united  with 
Prussia  to  form  the  modern  Empire. 

Wilhelm  II.  started  as  I  pronounced  the  name  of 
this  body.  It  is  well  known  that  his  Imperial 
Majesty  does  not  enjoy  the  full  confidence  of  some  of 
his  satellite  kings.  In  the  army  there  has  been  a  good 
deal  of  friction  beneath  the  surface.  It  was  there- 
fore not  at  all  improbable  that  the  lesser  royalties  of 
Germany  should  have  employed  a  spy  to  detect  the 
designs  of  their  erratic  and  overbearing  suzerain. 

'  Did  you  tell  this  to  Herr  Finkelstein  ? '  was  the 
next  question. 

'  No,  sire.'  I  was  anxious  to  save  the  Director 
from  the  Imperial  wrath.  'I  persuaded  him  that  I 
was  your  Majesty's  confidential  agent.' 

The  Kaiser  glared  at  me,  and  muttered  an  ex- 
clamation which  I  need  not  repeat. 

'How  do  I  know  that  you  are  telling  the  truth 
to  me,  any  more  than  you  did  to  him  ? '  he  cried. 

B 


258  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'Your  Majesty  cannot  know  it,'  I  answered  coldly. 
'  The  Council,  of  course,  will  disown  me.' 

'  You  are  a  cool  hand,'  Wilhelm  commented,  gnaw- 
ing his  moustache.  '  It  seems  to  me  that  I  can  do 
nothing  with  you,  except  shoot  you.' 

'  That  will  be  much  the  simplest  course,'  I  replied, 
I  saw  that  it  would  be  a  contest  between  the  Em- 
peror's curiosity  and  his  vengeance,  and  already  I 
began  to  hope. 

His  Majesty  gave  the  signal,  and  I  was  led 
out  into  the  courtyard,  where  I  found  six  men 
under  the  command  of  an  officer,  drawn  up  in 
line. 

I  was  placed  in  front  of  them,  and  as  I  looked 
down  the  rifle-barrels  already  pointed  at  my  heart 
I  felt  really  nervous  for  a  moment.  The  scene  was 
illuminated  by  a  solitary  lamp  fixed  over  the  gate- 
way, and  its  rays  broke  against  the  row  of  steel 
tubes  which  held  death. 

'  Now,'  said  the  Kaiser,  stepping  close  to  my  side, 
'  tell  me  the  truth — the  real  truth,  mind — and  I  will 
spare  your  life.' 

I  tried  to  think  of  something  which  Wilhelm  II. 
would  be  likely  to  believe.  In  the  meantime,  I 
congratulated  myself  on  not  having  disclosed  my 
identity,  as  in  that  case,  of  course,  it  would  not 
have  occurred  to  his  Majesty  that  I  could  be 
induced  to  betray  my  employer. 


o   ^3 
b/1   5 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.        259 

He  saw  that  I  was  hesitating,  and  fortunately 
mistook  the  reason. 

'  I  will  not  only  spare  your  life,  but  I  will  send  you 
across  the  frontier  under  an  escort,  and  let  you  go 
free,'  his  Majesty  declared. 

I  affected  to  yield  reluctantly. 

'  My  mission  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  an  official 
one.  I  am  the  agent  of  an  individual,  who  wishes  to 
render  a  service  to  his  countrymen,  without  his 
action  being  publicly  known.  Your  Majesty's  recent 
alliance  with  Great  Britain  to  blockade  Venezuela 
has  aroused  the  fears  of  thoughtful  American  states- 
men. It  is  suspected  that  you  may  have  other  pro- 
jects in  which  the  interests  of  the  United  States  are 
concerned,  and  I  have  been  instructed ' 

'  By  Theodore  Roosevelt ! '  the  Kaiser  exclaimed, 
falling  back  a  pace  or  two. 

I  nodded. 

•Your  Majesty  has  guessed  the  truth.  The  pro- 
ject which  I  have  discovered  among  your  papers 
docs  not  concern  the  United  States,  and  I  am  there- 
fore willing  to  undertake  that  it  shall  not  be  revealed 
to  the  President.' 

'  Enough,'  Wilhelm  II.  said  in  subdued  tones.  '  I 
have  passed  my  word.'  He  turned  to  the  officer. 
'  Take  this  man  in  irons  to  Hamburg,  and  place  him 
on  board  a  British  vessel.' 

If  I  felt  some  coiii[)unction  at  the  liberty  I  had 


260         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

taken  with  the  name  of  the  United  States  President, 
I  consoled  myself  with  the  assurance  that  he  would 
pardon  me  in  view  of  the  fact  that  I  was  acting  in 
the  interest  of  the  mother-country. 

My  escort  placed  me  on  board  a  steamer  bound  for 
Hull,  with  an  intimation  to  the  captain  that  my  irons 
were  not  to  be  struck  off  till  the  ship  was  out  of  the 
Elbe. 

The  captain  was  naturally  curious  to  learn  who  I 
was.  I  allowed  him  to  suppose  that  I  was  a  Pole 
banished  for  sedition.  Fortunately,  I  had  ample 
funds  about  me  to  defray  my  first-class  passage,  and 
I  have  generally  found  in  dealing  with  Englishmen 
that  a  Bank  of  England  note  inspires  more  confidence 
than  a  testimonial  from  an  Archbishop. 

As  soon  as  the  boat  reached  Hull  I  made  the  best 
of  my  way  to  Balmoral,  where  Lord  Bedale  was  stay- 
ing in  attendance  on  King  Edward. 

Into  his  lordship's  astonished  ears  I  poured  the 
whole  tale  of  my  discovery,  passing  over  as  lightly 
as  possible  the  dangers  through  which  I  had  passed. 

Lord  Bedale  was  much  moved. 

'I  must  thank  you  warmly  for  having   kept  the 

K I  mean,  for  having  kept  my  name  out  of  this. 

The  Emperor  would  certainly  have  suspected  that  I 
was  acting  on  King  Edward's  behalf.' 

*  It  is  possible,'  I  said  drily. 

The  Marquis  glanced  at  me  and  we  both  smiled. 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.        261 

*  Enoiigli ! '  he  said.  '  Remain  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  I  will  see  you  again  in  a  day  or  two.' 

The  next  time  Lord  Bedale  sent  for  me  his  manner 
was  entirely  changed. 

'  Monsieur  V ,'   he   said,   '  I   have  related  the 

whole  of  your  adventure  to  his  Majesty,  who  has 
formed  the  highest  opinion  of  your  tact  and  fidelity ; 
so  much  so,  that  he  has  now  instructed  me  to  offer 
you  a  mission  on  his  own  behalf 

'  That  will  be  the  highest  honour  I  could  receive.' 

'His  Majesty's  health  is  not  yet  fully  recovered. 
In  consequence,  his  physicians  have  advised  him  to 
take  a  sea-voyage  in  the  early  part  of  the  year.' 

'  I  trust  it  will  benefit  his  Majesty  very  greatly.' 

'The  climate  of  the  Mediterranean  has  been  re- 
commended.' 

'There  is  no  pleasanter  climate  at  that  time  of 
year.' 

'As  his  Majesty  will  be  obliged  to  pass  by  the 
mouth  of  the  Tagus,  it  will  seem  discourteous  if  he 
does  not  land  in  Lisbon,  and  see  the  King.' 

'  His  Majesty's  courtesy  is  proverbial.' 

'In  visiting  his  Maltese  subjects  he  will  be  so  near 
Italy  that  King  Victor  may  expect  to  see  him  in 
Rome.' 

'  That  will  be  only  natural.' 

'In  case  his  Majesty  should  feel  tired  of  so  much 
sea,  he  may  feel  it  pleasanter  to  return  overland.' 


262  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  That  will  involve  his  passing  through  Paris.* 

'  Exactly.' 

Portugal,  Italy,  France — these  were  the  three 
States  which  had  made  a  stand  against  the  threat- 
ened alliance  against  the  United  Kingdom.  I  looked 
at  Lord  Bedale  and  we  understood  one  another. 

'  His  Majesty  proposes  that  you  should  visit  each 
of  these  three  capitals  in  advance,  and  ascertain  in  a 
confidential  way  how  he  is  likely  to  be  received,  not 
merely  by  the  head  of  the  State,  but  by  the  people 
themselves — the  nation.' 

*  I  understand.' 

'King  Edward  desires  to  be  received,  not  with 
formal  courtesy,  but  with  the  recognition  due  to  the 
ambassador  of  the  world's  peace.' 

'  I  shall  bear  that  in  mind.' 

'I  may  add  that  he  only  defers  bestowing  the 
Victorian  Order  on  you  till  he  is  able  to  do  so  in 
return  for  the  services  he  now  asks  you  to  render 
him.' 

There  is  not  much  more  for  me  to  add. 

In  Rome,  as  in  Lisbon,  I  found  there  was  little  for 
me  to  do ;  the  name  of  King  Edward  was  already  on 
every  tongue.  Even  in  Paris,  with  its  jealous  and 
reckless  Press,  I  found  that  the  British  King  was  a 
favourite  with  those  who  were  most  ready  to  criticise 
British  policy. 

I  had  an  interview  with  Father  Loubet,  as   the 


THE  POLICY  OF  EDWARD  VII.         263 

Freucli  love  to  call  their  homelj' peasant-riesident; 
the  man  who  has  proved  once  more  that  sterling 
character  counts  for  more  in  public  life  than  rank  or 
wealth  or  intellectual  cleverness. 

Later  on  I  had  the  honour  of  accompanying  the 
ruler  of  Britain  on  his  stately  progress  of  peace. 
And  as  his  coming  was  acclaimed  in  capital  after 
capital,  and  the  nations  so  long  sundered  by  senseless 
rivalries  shook  hands,  with  their  sovereigns,  the 
angry  Emperors  realised  that  England's  'splendid 
isolation'  was  over,  and  that  she  had  resumed  her 
historic  role  of  the  champion  of  the  weak,  and  pro- 
tector of  the  liberties  of  Europe. 

The  glittering  jewel  pinned  to  my  breast  by  the 
great  Monarch's  own  hands  was  an  unnecessary 
reward.     To  have  served  such  a  master  was  enough. 


XI 

THE  HUMBERT   MILLIONS 

The  Humbert  Case,  like  the  Dreyfus  Case,  is  a  chose 
jugee. 

Therese  Humbert,  one  of  the  greatest  women  of 
the  century,  who  united  the  commanding  personality 
of  a  Catherine  the  Great  with  the  genius  for  intrigue 
of  a  Catherine  de  Medicis,  has  been  formally  tried 
and  condemned,  and  is  now  secluded  from  the  public 
eye.  The  journals  of  the  Boulevards  pretend  to  be 
satisfied ;  and  their  credulous  readers  are  taught  to 
believe  that  this  remarkable  affair  was  a  vulgar 
swindle,  and  that  the  famous  millions  had  no  ex- 
istence except  in  the  mind  of  the  arch-intriguer. 

It  is  under  these  circumstances  that  I  find  myself 
at  length  free  to  make  an  announcement  which  I 
foresee  must  provoke  a  storm  of  denial  and  denun- 
ciation. 

/  know  what  has  become  of  the  Humbert  millions. 

I  do  not  make  this  declaration  without  having 
weighed  the  consequences.  If  my  part  in  this  affair 
could  be  brought  home  to  me  by  legal  proofs,  it  is 

264 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  265 

possible  that  I  should  fmd  myself  in  danger  of  a 
penalty  such  as  has  been  meted  out  to  Madame 
Humbert  herself. 

I  believe,  however,  that  I  have  sufficiently  secured 
myself  against  such  a  contingency.  For  many 
months  past  I  have  been  engaged  in  a  duel  of  a 
singular  character  with  the  famous  head  of  the 
French  police,  M.  Rattache :  a  duel  of  wits,  in  which 
the  combatants  have  kept  on  the  mask  of  friendship, 
while  exchanging  thrusts  and  parries  with  an  assump- 
tion of  perfect  unconsciousness. 

In  no  step  of  her  marvellous  career,  perhaps, 
did  Therese  Humbert  show  more  sagacity  than  in 
establishing  relations  with  myself  Accustomed  as 
I  am  to  act  almost  exclusively  for  crowned  heads, 
or  ministers  of  state,  I  was  the  agent  least  likely  to 
be  suspected  of  any  connection  with  what  wore  the 
appearance  of  an  ordinary  police  affair. 

With  the  same  prudence  which  marked  nearly  all 
her  actions,  Madame  Humbert  refrained  from  coming 
to  my  office  to  engage  my  services,  and  from  asking 
me  to  visit  her.  Instead,  I  received  what  appeared 
to  be  a  casual  invitation  to  dine  with  a  banker,  whom 
I  will  call  Baron  Y . 

Baron  Y was  a  man  whom  I  knew  but  slightly, 

but  his  house  enjoyed  a  good  reputation,  and  he  moved 
in  the  best  society  of  the  financial  world.  He  was 
noted  for  his  entertainments,  and  therefore  I  was 


266         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

surprised  on  this  occasion  to  find  only  three  other 
persons  present,  besides  the  members  of  the  family. 

The  three  other  guests  were  M.  Bas-Riviere,  an 
ex-member  of  the  Waldeck-Rousseau  Ministry,  the 
Marquis  des  Saintes  Roches,  a  distinguished  Legiti- 
mist, that  is  to  say,  a  member  of  the  party  which 
aims  at  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons,  and — 
Therese  Humbert. 

At  this  time  the  voice  of  rumour  was  already  busy 
with  Madame  Humbert's  name ;  but  though  assailed, 
she  still  maintained  a  bold  front,  and  her  enemies 
had  not  yet  been  able  to  touch  her. 

It  did  not  occur  to  me  that  her  presence  at  the 
dinner  had  any  significance,  but  I  studied  her  with 
that  interest  which  her  reputation  naturally  excited. 
Impassive,  almost  stolid  in  her  demeanour,  and  speak- 
ing but  little,  Madame  Humbert  impressed  me  more 
than  any  woman  I  have  ever  met,  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  Dowager  Empress  of  China.  I  will 
not  say  that  I  felt  awed  by  this  extraordinary 
personage,  but  I  recognised  in  her  one  of  those 
commanding  personalities  which  overrule  all  who 
are  brought  into  touch  with  them. 

After  dinner  Baron  Y led  us  through  some  of 

the  rooms  in  his  superb  mansion,  to  view  the  pictures 
and  curiosities  which  his  wealth  had  enabled  him  to 
gather  together. 

Somehow  or  other  Madame  Humbert  contrived  to 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  267 

fall  gradually  behind  the  rest  of  the  party,  keeping 
me  by  her  side.  I  did  not  realise  that  this  was  a 
deUberate  manoeuvre,  until,  just  as  the  others  were 
passing  out  of  a  small  Turkish  smoking-room,  my 
companion  abruptly  laid  her  hand  on  my  arm,  and 
whispered  in  my  ear — 

'Let  us   remain   here   a  moment,  if  you   please, 

Monsieur  V .     I  have  something  which  I  wish 

to  say  to  you.' 

Even  then  it  did  not  at  first  dawn  on  me  that  the 
whole  entertainment  had  been  arranged  for  the  single 
purpose  of  enabling  Madame  Humbert  to  interview 
me  without  attracting  the  notice  of  the  pi^lice,  who 
were  already  beginning  to  take  an  interest  in  her 
movements. 

'  Let  us  sit  down,'  the  custodian  of  the  mysterious 
millions  said  with  authority.  'What  I  have  to  say 
to  you  will  take  some  time.' 

Observe,  she  did  not  admit  the  possibility  of  my 
objecting  to  receive  her  confidences.  She  had  made 
up  her  mind  that  I  was  the  agent  necessary  for  lier 
purpose,  and  it  was  only  left  to  me  to  obey. 

I  took  a  seat  beside  her  without  speaking.  Mag- 
netised by  her  strange  power,  it  did  not  occur  to  me 
to  lay  down  any  conditions  in  advance. 

'  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  undertake  a  service  of 
an  unusual  kind.  You  will  run  some  risks,  and  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  trust  you  implicitly.' 


268         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  Madame,' — I  began  to  protest.  She  silenced  me 
with  a  superb  gesture. 

'I  have  not  asked  you  for  assurances,  monsieur. 
If  I  have  chosen  you  in  preference  to  any  of  my 
friends,  even  men  of  the  highest  honour,  like  M.  des 
Saintes  Roches,  depend  upon  it  I  know  what  I  am 
about.  Do  not  interrupt  me,  but  listen.  In  my  safe 
at  this  moment  I  have  notes  and  securities  to  the 
value  of  two  hundred  millions  of  francs.' 

Two  hundred  millions  !  That  is  to  say,  in  English 
money,  £8,000,000  !  I  stared  at  her  in  amazement — 
almost  in  disbelief  She  went  on  speaking  with  the 
most  perfect  composure,  as  if  nothing  out  of  the 
ordinary  were  being  discussed.  It  was  this  self- 
command,  this  air  of  the  commonplace  with  which 
she  invested  the  most  fantastic  statements,  which 
constituted  the  secret  of  her  power. 

'  This  sum,  which  originally  amounted  to  only  one 
hundred  and  twenty  millions,  does  not  belong  to  me. 
It  is  a  sacred  deposit,  intrusted  to  me  many  years 
ago,  since  which  time  the  interest  has  steadily 
accumulated.' 

'But,  then,  whose V  I  tried  to  put  in.      But 

Madame  Humbert  would  not  permit  me  to  speak. 

'It  is  useless  to  question  me,  monsieur.  Think 
what  you  like  concerning  the  true  ownership  of  this 
money,  but  do  not  expect  me  to  enlighten  you.  All 
that  it  is  necessary  for  you  to  know  is  that  these 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  269 

millions  constitute  a  war  fund,  to  be  employed  in  a 
certain  event,  and  on  behalf  of  a  cause  which  I  was 
brought  up  to  hold  dearer  than  life,' 

'  A  war  fund  ! '  I  could  not  resist  exclaiming. 

My  companion  ignored  the  interruption. 

'  From  which  it  follows  that  the  whole  sum  must 
always  be  available,  at  an  hour's  notice,  in  the  hands 
of  a  trusty  agent.  Hitherto  I  have  been  that  agent; 
but  I  have  met  with  misfortunes,  and  a  danger  has 
arisen  that  this  sum  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  my 
private  creditors.' 

She  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  added,  in  a 
less  firm  tone — 

'  The  custody  of  this  vast  sum  has  been  my  ruin. 
In  order  to  use  it  to  advantage  I  was  obliged  to  in- 
vent all  sorts  of  fables  to  account  for  its  being  in  my 
possession.  People  insisted  on  treating  me  as  a  rich 
woman,  they  forced  loans  upon  me ;  I  considered  it 
permissible  to  borrow  money  on  the  security  of  this 
fortune  of  which  I  was  merely  the  guardian;  I 
managed  my  own  affairs  badly — in  short  I  am  in- 
solvent, and  shall  shortly  bo  obliged  to  go  into 
hiding.  My  creditors  have  asked  the  Courts  for  an 
order  to  open  the  safe  which  contains  the  millions,  and 
unless  they  are  removed  in  time  I  shall  have  incurred 
the  vengeance  of  those  whose  cause  I  have  betrayed ' 

She  shuddered.  Thcrese  Humbert,  the  stroner- 
minded,  iinpcrturbaljlc  woman  who   had  witnessed 


270         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

suicides  committed  on  her  account,  trembled  as  she 
referred  to  this  vengeance,  which  was  so  much  more 
terrible  to  her  than  any  penalties  in  the  power  of 
the  French  Courts  to  impose. 

'  In  a  word,  Monsieur  V ,'  she  resumed,  throw- 
ing off  her  momentary  weakness,  '  you  must  relieve 
me  of  the  custody  of  this  treasure.' 

I  sat  as  if  mesmerised  while  I  received  this 
staggering  proposal,  which  the  extraordinary  person- 
asre  beside  me  made  in  the  matter-of-fact  tone  of  one 

o 

who  is  asking  another  to  undertake  the  posting  of  a 
letter. 

This  woman,  whom  I  had  never  seen  before,  who 
was  beginning  to  be  publicly  branded  as  an  adven- 
turess, and  who  had  just  confessed  herself  to  be  a 
bankrupt,  if  not  something  which  the  law  would  call 
by  a  harsher  name — this  woman  calmly  informed 
me  that  she  proposed  handing  over  to  me  a  sum 
equal  to  the  revenue  of  a  kingdom,  to  be  held,  as 
far  as  I  could  see,  for  an  unknown  length  of  time, 
for  an  unknown  owner,  and  for  an  unknown  pur- 
pose. 

If  it  had  been  any  other  person  in  the  world  who 
had  marie  me  such  a  proposition,  I  am  certain  that 
I  should  have  laughed  at  it  as  a  hoax,  or,  at  least, 
demanded  the  most  circumstantial  details  and 
assurances  before  going  further.  What  was  there 
about  this  Therese  Humbert,  with  her  figure  of  a 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  271 

bourgeois,  her  expressionless  face,  and  cold  grey  eye, 
which  compelled  me  to  take  her  seriously — which 
made  me,  against  my  judgment,  submit  to  become 
her  instrument?  In  the  power  of  the  human  will 
there  are  mysteries  which  philosophy  has  not  yet 
fathomed. 

It  is  true  that  at  this  time  Madame  Humbert  still 
retained  the  confidence  of  a  very  large  section  of 
society.  There  had,  as  yet,  been  no  hint  of  any 
criminal  proceedings  against  her.  Even  if  there 
had  been,  moreover,  she  had  so  clearly  separated 
her  position  as  trustee  of  the  millions  from  her 
private  dealings,  that  she  had  convinced  me  that 
I  could  carry  out  her  instructions  with  regard  to 
the  fund,  without  being  guilty  of  any  dishonesty 
towards  the  creditors  who  were  proceeding  against 
her. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  I  consented  to  consider  the 
matter. 

My  companion  at  once  set  herself  to  extract  from 
me  a  definite  undertaking. 

'  There  is  no  time  to  lose,'  she  insisted.  '  Although 
I  am  exhausting  every  legal  form,  in  order  to  post- 
pone the  decision,  my  advocate  has  wnriicd  nie  that 
I  must  not  expect  it  to  be  delayed  much  longer.  I 
shall  not  be  easy  till  the  millions  are  safely  in  your 
hands.' 

'And  when   I  have  received   them,  what  then? 


272  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  asked.  'Will  it  not  be  known  that  the  sum  is 
in  my  possession,  and  shall  I  not  be  exposed  to  pro- 
ceedings in  my  turn  ? ' 

'That  is  what  we  have  got  to  avoid,'  was  the 
answer.  '  It  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  take  the 
money  with  the  greatest  secrecy.  Fortunately,  this 
is  not  an  affair  of  bankers.  The  notes  and  bills  are 
lying  ready  in  the  safe  in  my  house,  and  do  not 
require  to  be  endorsed.  You  will  not  be  asked  for  a 
receipt  even.' 

I  was  more  and  more  overcome  by  the  sublime 
daring  of  this  woman's  ideas. 

'  Then  you  simply  wish  me  to  take  the  fund 
from  you  and  hold  it  at  your  disposal  ? ' 

'  At  the  disposal  of  those  to  whom  it  belongs,' 
Therese  corrected  me.  'When  the  time  comes  to 
reclaim  these  millions  I  may  be  out  of  reach.  That 
will  not  matter  to  you.  All  you  will  have  to  do  is 
to  keep  the  treasure  in  some  safe  hiding-place,  and 
deliver  it  up  to  the  first  person  who  comes  to  you 
and  pronounces  in  your  ear  three  words.' 

She  bent  her  lips  towards  me  and  whispered 
three  words  of  such  notable  significance  that  I  was 
left  in  little  doubt  as  to  the  purpose  for  which  the 
mysterious  hoard  was  being  kept  in  readiness. 

Although  the  light  thus  obtained  served  to  relieve 
my  mind  of  the  fear  that  I  was  mixing  in  any  vulgar 
swindle,  yet  at  the  same  time  it  showed  me  that 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  273 

there  were  grave  risks  to  be  run,  and  that  I  might 
easily  find  myself  in  the  meshes  of  the  criminal 
law. 

I  again  asked  for  time  to  consider,  Madame 
Humbert's  sole  reply  was  an  offer  of  terms  so  liberal 
that  it  would  have  been  quarrelling  with  my  profes- 
sion to  refuse.  She  smiled  with  grim  satisfaction  as 
she  read  in  my  face  that  I  gave  in. 

'Then  that  is  settled,  monsieur,'  she  remarked, 
preparing  to  rise.  *  I  will  only  add  that  the  sooner 
you  get  to  work  the  better  it  will  be  for  every- 
body.' 

'  When  do  you  propose  to  hand  the  millions  over 
to  me  ? '  was  my  natural  question. 

'  I  do  not  propose  to  hand  them  over  to  you  at 
all,'  she  responded  coolly.  '  You  will  take  the  money 
out  of  the  safe  in  your  own  fashion,  and  without  con- 
sulting me.' 

I  gazed  at  her  in  consternation. 

'  You  mean  that  I  should  steal  this  two  hundred 
millions ! '  I  gasped. 

'  That  will  be  the  best  plan,  I  think,'  said  Madame 
Humbert  with  an  approving  nod. 

I  have  been  concerned  in  some  curious  transac- 
tions in  my  time,  and  in  some  dangerous  ones,  but 
now  I  felt  that  I  was  fairly  out  of  my  depth.  I 
knew  that  I  was  nothing  to  Therese  Humbert ;  and 
if  it  suited  her  convenience  to  use  me  as  a  cat's-paw 

b 


274         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

in  the  game  she  was  playing  with  the  authorities 
I  might  very  well  find  myself  in  an  ugly  situation. 

What,  for  example,  could  be  easier  than  for  this 
accomplished  intriguer  to  set  a  trap  for  me;  have 
me  arrested,  perhaps,  in  the  attempt  to  break  into 
an  empty  safe,  and  thus  establish  a  defence  for  her- 
self ?  She  would  be  able  to  pose  as  the  victim  of  a 
robbery;  and  I  should  be  held  responsible  for  the 
disappearance  of  these  millions  whose  existence  was 
in  dispute. 

I  felt  my  companion's  eyes  fixed  on  my  face 
in  watchful  scrutiny  as  these  reflections  passed 
through  my  mind.     My  decision  was  taken  swiftly. 

'  You  shall  hear  from  me  in  the  morning,  madame,' 
I  said  sharply,  rising  from  my  seat.  '  Till  then,  au 
revoir.' 

And  I  went  out  of  the  room,  and  out  of  the  house, 
without  giving  her  an  opportunity  to  press  me 
further. 

When  the  morning  came  I  was  seated  in  my 
office  as  usual,  engaged  in  deciphering  a  confidential 
cable  from  the  President  of  Colombia,  when  my 
secretary  entered  the  room  and  informed  me  that  a 
veiled  lady,  who  declined  to  give  her  name,  wished 
to  see  me  in  private. 

*  Show  Madame  Humbert  in,'  I  said,  emphasising 
the  name. 

The  secretary,  who  understood  what  was  required 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  275 

of  him,  went  out,  and  immediately  returned  with 
the  visitor. 

'  Madame  Humbert,'  he  announced  with  as  much 
confidence  as  if  the  great  Therese  had  intrusted  him 
with  her  card. 

On  the  previous  night  Madame  Humbert  had 
enjoyed  the  superiority  over  me,  I  confess  it.  This 
morning  the  tables  were  turned,  and  I  had  brought 
off  the  first  coup. 

My  visitor  started  as  she  heard  her  name,  and 
threw  up  her  veil  with  a  gesture  of  astonishment 
and  indignation  combined. 

'Madame  Humbert!'  I  cried,  pretending  to  be 
equally  surprised.  Then,  as  the  secretary  retired, 
I  added — 'This  publicity,  is  it  quite  prudent,  my 
dear  madame  ? ' 

Th^r^se  gave  me  a  glance  in  which  I  read  some- 
thing like  fear,  as  she  dropped  into  a  seat. 

'But  I    don't    understand,   Monsieur  V .      I 

don't  know  how  that  young  man  learned  who  I  was.' 

I  shrugged  my  shoulders. 

'It  is  the  business  of  my  staff  to  penetrate 
mysteries,  madame.  But  you  may  depend  on  my 
secretary's  discretion.  It  will  be  awkward  if  the 
police  have  followed  you  here,  however.  If  M. 
Rattache  were  to  learn  that  we  had  been  in  com- 
munication, I  might  be  obliged  to  withdraw  from 
the  case.* 


276  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Madame  Humbert  clasped  her  hands  in  agitation. 
Her  demeanour  was  no  longer  that  of  the  cold, 
masterful  woman  who  had  conversed  with  me  in 
Baron  Y 's  smoking-room. 

'  Listen,  monsieur !  Is  it  possible  that  you  do  not 
guess  the  object  of  my  visit  ? ' 

'Unless  it  is  to  give  me  further  instructions  on 
the  subject  of  your  affair,  no.' 

Therese  wrung  her  hands. 

'  It  is  to  tell  you,  on  the  contrary,  that  everything 
is  lost.  At  the  very  moment  that  we  were  talking 
together,  a  real  robber,  unknown  to  me,  was  rifling 
my  safe  of  everything ! ' 

'  You  are  serious,  madame,  I  suppose  ? ' 

'  Serious ! '  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  tragedy 
in  her  voice  and  air.     'I  tell  you,  monsieur,  that 

I  left  Baron  Y 's  within  an  hour  of  speaking  to 

you.  I  drove  straight  home,  went  to  the  safe,  opened 
it,  and  found  inside  a  button  and  a  centime.' 

'Really!' 

Madame  Humbert  gazed  at  me  desperately. 

•  You  do  not  believe  me,  perhaps,  monsieur  ?  Yet 
I  swear  to  you  as  a  Christian  woman — I  swear  as  a 
mother — that  there  were  two  hundred  millions  of 
francs  in  that  safe  when  I  came  to  dine  at  Baron 
Y 's.' 

*  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  of  it,  madame.* 
'  Then  what  do  you  suspect  ? ' 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  277 

*It  is  clear  to  me  that  you  have  been  robbed 
since.' 

'  By  whom  ? ' 

'  By  some  one  in  your  confidence,  perhaps.  Some 
one  to  whom  you  had  confided  the  guardianship  of 
this  fund,  in  which  his  Royal  Highness  the  — — 
of is  so  much  interested.' 

Madame  Humbert  glared  at  me  in  anger. 

'You  are  mocking  me,'  she  cried  fiercely.  'I 
came  here  to  ask  if  you  would  undertake  the 
recovery  of  this  money  from  the  thief.' 

'That  is  unnecessary,  madame.  All  that  your 
friends  have  to  do  is  to  approach  him,  and  breathe 
in  his  ear  the  three  words, .' 

'But  if  we  do  not  know  who  he  is!'  cried  the 
distracted  plotter. 

'  Oh,  if  you  only  require  to  know  who  he  is,  that 
is  soon  settled.  I  will  send  you  the  name  of  the 
robber  on  the  day  on  which  your  affair  terminates 
in  the  Courts.' 

A  light  began  to  break  upon  the  mind  of  the 
excited  woman. 

'Monsieur  V !'  she  exclaimed.  'Is  it  pos- 
sible  ? ' 

I  drew  myself  up. 

'Silence,  if  you  please,  madame.  I  have  made 
you  a  promise  which  1  shall  know  how  to  keep.  In 
the  meantime  it  is  clear  that  wo  have  nothing  more 


278         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

to  say  to  one  another,  and  that  the  sooner  you  are 
out  of  this  building  the  better  it  will  be  for  all 
parties/ 

Madame  Humbert  rose,  gave  me  a  glance  in  which 
curiosity,  respect,  and  apprehension  were  strangely 
mingled,  and  quitted  my  presence  without  venturing 
to  say  another  word. 

I  have  never  seen  her  since. 

The  following  day,  as  I  entered  my  private  room 
at  the  usual  hour,  I  was  conscious  of  a  singular 
impression,  in  the  nature  of  a  presentiment.  Some 
men  possess  a  sense,  more  subtle  than  sight  or  smell, 
by  means  of  which  they  are  able  to  detect  a  personal 
presence,  more  especially  one  hostile  to  themselves. 
I  have  been  well  served  by  an  instinct  of  this  kind 
on  more  than  one  occasion,  and  now  it  asserted  itself 
so  strongly  that  for  an  instant  I  believed  that  there 
must  be  some  one  hiding  in  my  room. 

A  glance  around  removed  this  suspicion.  Every- 
thing was  in  its  place  as  usual — was  even  Tnore  in 
its  place  than  usual,  if  I  may  be  permitted  the 
hyperbole. 

I  went  to  the  secret  drawer  in  which  I  kept  the 
cipher  despatches  concerning  the  Panama  affair  (on 
which  I  was  engaged  about  this  time). 

It  seemed  to  me  that  the  spring  worked  a  little 
more  smoothly  than  when  I  had  last  opened  the 
drawer.      The  papers  inside  lay  exactly  as  I  had 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  279 

left  them  overnight.  Struck  by  a  sudden  thought, 
I  pulled  the  drawer  right  out,  lit  a  match,  and 
examined  the  dusty  floor  of  the  recess. 

I  was  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  one — two — three 
distinct  prints  of  finger-tips  in  the  dust. 

That  sight,  of  course,  told  me  everything.  My 
office  had  been  ransacked  during  the  night  by  the 
French  police,  and  those  prints  had  been  left  by 
fingers  tapping  in  search  of  the  hiding-place  of  the 
Humbert  millions. 

It  was  a  startling  thing  to  find  M.  Rattache  so 
swiftly  on  my  trail,  and  I  inwardly  cursed  the 
imprudence  which  had  permitted  Madame  Humbert 
to  pay  me  her  tell-tale  visit.  I  put  on  my  hat  and 
hurried  round  to  the  little  apartment  in  the  Quartier 
Latin  which  I  use  for  appointments  with  persons 
whom  it  would  be  inexpedient  to  receive  openly. 
As  I  expected,  I  found  M.  Rattache  had  been  before 
me.  His  myrmidons  had  done  their  work  no  less 
thoroughly  here  than  at  my  headquarters. 

I  always  enjoy  a  struggle  with  a  foe  worthy  of  my 
steel,  and  this  was  by  no  means  my  first  bout  with 
the  famous  detective  force  of  Paris.  On  my  first 
settling  in  Paris,  their  attentions  to  me  had  been 
incessant  and  disagreeable,  and  it  had  taken  all  my 
ingenuity  to  keep  my  secrets  from  them.  By  degrees 
wo  had  drifted  into  a  species  of  informal  armistice, 
it  being  understood,  rather  than  agreed,  that  they 


280         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

abandoned  the  attempt  to  follow  my  proceedings, 
while  I  refrained  from  acting  against  them  in  the 
criminal  affairs  with  which  they  were  chiefly  con- 
cerned. 

Between  M.  Rattache,  the  brilliant  head  of  the 
force,  and  myself  there  had  sprung  up  a  warm 
private  friendship,  based  on  mutual  respect.  I 
knew  that  he  would  not  have  permitted  his  men 
to  trouble  me  without  pretty  good  grounds  for  so 
doing ;  and  this  made  me  the  more  anxious. 

My  first  thought,  after  visiting  the  Quartier  Latin, 
was  for  my  private  residence.  I  felt  pretty  sure  that 
the  police  could  not  have  been  there  in  the  night 
without  my  knowledge,  and  I  asked  myself  what 
plan  the  fertile  brain  of  my  rival  would  devise  in 
order  to  search  the  premises  without  giving  mo 
warning. 

I  hailed  a  fiacre,  and  bade  the  driver  go  to  my 
house  at  his  best  speed.  It  was  not  yet  eleven 
o'clock,  so  there  was  room  for  hope  that  M.  Rattache 
had  not  begun  his  attack  in  this  quarter.  If  ho 
had,  I  should  probably  catch  his  men  at  work. 

As  we  drew  near  the  street  in  which  my  house  is 
situated  we  were  overtaken  by  a  fire-engine,  which 
dashed  by  at  a  gallop.  Struck  by  a  sudden  appre- 
hension, I  offered  my  driver  a  golden  pourhoire  to 
double  his  speed. 

It  was  too  late.    As  we  drove  up  I  beheld  a  thick 


I  was  stopped  at  the  harricade  liy  a  i><mipous  sergeant  of  police. 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  281 

black  column  of  smoke  issuing  from  my  house.  A 
barricade  had  been  formed ;  half  a  dozen  fire-engines 
"were  drawn  up  in  front,  though  it  was  remarkable 
that  not  one  had  yet  begun  to  play  upon  the  build- 
ing ;  and  every  floor  appeared  to  be  swarming  with 
firemen,  who  were  gutting  the  house  of  everything 
it  contained. 

In  spite  of  my  vexation  at  the  sight  of  my  ruined 
home,  I  could  not  withhold  my  tribute  of  admiration 
to  M.  Rattache's  promptness  and  resource.  Under 
the  pretence  of  a  fire,  which  he  had  of  course  con- 
trived to  start,  and  which  was  well  under  control,  he 
had  turned  in  a  horde  of  detectives,  disguised  as 
firemen,  with  instructions  to  pull  the  building  to 
pieces,  if  necessary,  in  search  of  the  Humbert 
millions. 

It  was  useless  for  me  to  think  of  interfering.  I 
was  stopped  at  the  barricade  by  a  pompous  sergeant 
of  police,  who  took  down  my  name  and  address, 
rebuked  me  severely  for  ray  negligence  in  permitting 
my  house  to  catch  fire,  and  forbade  me  to  interrupt 
the  firemen  in  their  benevolent  labours  on  my  behalf. 

Walking  to  and  fro  on  the  pavement,  and  scrutin- 
ising every  article  brought  out  from  the  building  by 
his  assistants,  I  perceived  M,  Rattache  himself  In 
a  minute  he  caught  sight  of  me,  and  came  towards 
me  with  extended  arms. 

He  knew,  of  course,  that  I  thoroughly  understood 


282  SECRET  HISTORY  0^  TO-DAY 

the  game.  Nevertheless,  his  expression  of  sympa- 
thetic distress  was  perfect. 

'My  dear  V !      What    an    unlucky   chance! 

Behold  me  overwhelmed  with  grief  at  your  mis- 
fortune ! ' 

'You  are  too  good,'  I  returned  drily.  'There  is 
nothing  of  any  value  in  the  house,  I  am  glad  to  say. 
This  accident  will  merely  give  me  the  annoyance  of 
sleeping  in  a  hotel  for  the  next  few  nights.' 

'  Do  not  say  that,  my  dear  colleague,'  M.  Rattache 
responded  eagerly.  'You  will  confer  a  real  favour 
on  me  by  consenting  to  accept  my  hospitality  for  a 
short  time,  till  your  house  is  ready  for  you  again.' 

I  glanced  at  him  with  suspicion.  Did  this  mean 
that  I  was  to  he  under  arrest  ? 

'  I  cannot  thank  you  sufficiently  for  such  kindness,' 
was  my  answer.  'But  I  am  afraid  I  should  cause 
you  too  much  inconvenience.  My  hours  are  very 
irregular ;  sometimes  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  be  at 
my  office  in  the  middle  of  the  night.' 

'Do  not  let  yourself  be  restrained  by  such  con- 
siderations,' he  replied  earnestly.  'You  shall  be  as 
free  as  if  you  were  under  your  own  roof.' 

It  would  have  been  ungracious  to  persist  in  my 
refusal,  especially  as  I  fancied  from  M.  Rattache's 
tone  that  he  had  already  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  his  raid  on  my  house  was  a  mistake,  and  really 
regretted  the  inconvenience  he  had  caused  me. 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  283 

On  the  whole,  the  arrangement  was  not  such  a 
bad  one  for  me.  While  I  should  have  been  exposed 
to  the  surveillance  of  my  antagonist  in  any  case, 
this  plan  would  place  him  under  mine.  We  should 
be  like  the  combatants  in  the  holmgang,  who  were 
strapped  together,  and  placed  on  a  small  island,  to 
hack  each  other  to  pieces  with  knives. 

I  moved  into  my  new  quarters  the  same  day,  some 
of  my  personal  baggage  being  brought  round  by  the 
pretended  firemen,  who  must  have  wondered  to  see 
me  on  such  terms  with  their  chief.  Rattache  pre- 
sented me  to  his  wife,  a  most  charming  woman  with 
three  little  daughters,  whose  hearts  I  immediately 
won  by  organising  all  sorts  of  games  at  blindman's 
buff  and  hide-and-seek. 

During  the  next  few  days  I  received  cipher  wires 
from  my  various  agents  abroad,  informing  me  that 
their  apartments  had  been  searched,  and  that  they 
were  being  shadowed  by  unknown  men. 

I  was  pleased  with  these  despatches,  which  proved 
to  me  that  my  men  were  on  the  alert.  I  sent 
encouraging  replies,  and  persuaded  Madame  Rattache 
to  accompany  me  to  the  theatre. 

I  had  already  visited  a  Turkish  bath  in  company 
with  my  host,  in  order  to  afford  him  every  facility 
for  ascertaining  that  I  was  not  carrying  any  portion 
of  the  £8,000,000  on  my  person. 

At  the  end  of  a  month  my  house  was  in  perfect 


284         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

order  again.  M.  Rattache  was  beginning  to  feel  a 
little  uneasy,  perhaps,  at  my  great  progress  in  the 
friendship  of  madame,  for  he  raised  no  objection 
when  I  proposed  to  bring  my  stay  with  him  to  a 
close.  The  little  girls  were  in  despair  at  my  going, 
and  Madame  Rattache  earnestly  pressed  me  to  come 
and  see  them  frequently. 

Months  passed  away,  and  France  and  Europe  were 
absorbed  in  learning  of  the  sudden  flight  of  the 
Humberts,  the  discovery  of  the  empty  safe,  the 
capture  of  the  fugitives,  and  the  trial  and  sentence 
of  the  majestic  Th^rese. 

As  she  was  leaving  the  dock  at  the  end  of  the 
case,  one  of  the  warders  slipped  into  her  hand  a 
piece  of  paper  which  contained  simply  my  initials — 
A.  V. 

I  had  gone  straight  from  Baron  Y 's  house, 

at  the  end  of  our  conversation,  to  the  Humbert 
mansion,  gained  admittance  by  means  of  the 
master-key  which  I  usually  carry  about  me,  opened 
the  safe  without  the  least  difficulty,  and  carried  off 
its  contents — all  before  Madame  Humbert  had  left 
the  Baron's  door. 

This  instantaneous  action,  which  I  had  considered 
necessary  for  my  own  protection,  turned  out  to  be 
the  best  possible  course  for  the  safety  of  the  millions. 
Now  I  had  redeemed  my  promise  to  Madame  Hum- 
bert, by  admitting  that  I  was  in  possession  of  the 


?\^  €  ^  i 


/ 


'<"f. 


The  cliief  detective  came  close  up  to  me,  jjiit  his  mouth  to  my  car, 
and  whispered,  '  Lt  drnpcau  bhuic  /'  " 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  285 

lost  treasure,  and  I  waited  confidently  for  the  person 
who  should  come  to  claim  it. 

Exactly  two  days  afterwards  I  was  surprised  by 
a  visit  from  M.  Rattache,  whom  I  had  not  seen  for 
some  time,  a  slight  coolness  having  resulted  from 
his  abortive  efforts  to  surprise  my  secret. 

The  chief  detective,  instead  of  taking  the  chair  I 
offered  him,  came  close  up  to  me,  put  his  mouth  to 
my  ear,  and  whispered :     '  Le  drapeau  blanc  !  ' 

The  white  flag !  Is  there  any  English  reader  who 
does  not  know  that  in  France  the  white  flag  signifies 
the  ancient  standard  of  the  Valois  and  the  Bourbons 
— the  inseparable  emblem  of  Legitimist  royalty,  which 
the  Comte  de  Chambord  refused  to  exchange  for  the 
Revolutionary  tricolor,  even  to  obtain  the  throne  ? 

I  stared  at  M.  Rattache,  confounded  to  find  in 
the  head  of  the  Republican  police  the  confidential 
agent  of  the  Monarchists. 

He  enjoyed  my  astonishment  for  a  minute  in 
silence.     Then  he  said  aloud — 

'  Now,  my  dear  V ,  perhaps  you  will  reveal  to 

me  the  secret  of  that  hiding-place  which  has  baffled 
the  efforts  of  my  best  men  for  so  long.' 

I  smiled  quietly  as  I  took  up  my  hat. 

'  On  first  receiving  this  fund  I  simply  put  the 
notes  and  bills  in  a  registered  parcel  and  sent  it 
to  my  agent  in  Brussels,  with  instructions  to  put  it 
in  a  fresh  cover  and  send  it  to  and  fro  through  the 


286         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

post  till  further  notice.  But  on  finding  that  you 
were  interested  in  my  correspondence  I  naturally 
adopted  another  plan.  I  will  take  you  at  once  to 
the  spot  where  I  have  deposited  these  millions, 
which  I  shall  not  be  sorry  to  get  rid  of.' 

I  led  the  way  out  into  the  street,  called  a  fiacre, 
and  whispered  an  address  into  the  driver's  ear. 

It  was  my  turn  to  enjoy  the  discomfiture  of  my 
colleague,  as  the  carriage  drew  up  before  his  own 
door. 

'  Here ! '  was  all  he  could  gasp. 

I  paid  the  driver  and  dismissed  him. 

'  Surely  there  could  be  no  spot  more  safe  from  the 
perquisitions  of  the  police,'  I  answered  mockingly. 

M.  Rattache  conducted  me  in,  and  led  the  way 
towards  his  study. 

'Not  that  way,'  I  objected.  'It  is  necessary  for 
us  to  go  upstairs.* 

With  ever-deepening  chagrin  M.  Rattache  followed 
me,  as  I  ascended  to  the  schoolroom  in  which  his 
little  daughters  were  at  play  with  their  dolls. 

They  rushed  to  embrace  me  with  exclamations  of 

joy. 

'  Isabel,'  I  said  to  the  eldest,  a  bright  girl  of  twelve, 
'now  you  shall  show  the  others  the  hiding-place 
where  we  put  the  box  of  bricks.' 

A  cry  of  delight  greeted  this  proposal.  Isabel  ran 
gaily  in  front  to  lead  the  party  into  her  own  little 


THE  HUMBERT  MILLIONS  287 

bedroom,  where,  under  a  loose  plank,  which  this 
observant  child  had  discovered,  and  the  knowledge 
of  which  she  had  kept  to  herself  with  that  marvellous 
secrecy  of  which  children  are  sometimes  capable, 
lay — the  Humbert  millions  ! 

Isabel  was  a  little  disappointed  to  find,  when  the 
box  was  opened,  that  her  bricks  had  been  changed 
into  stupid  pieces  of  paper.  But  I  explained  that  a 
fairy  had  been  at  work,  and  that  a  new  and  better 
set  of  bricks  would  arrive  by  the  next  post. 

And  so,  I  am  relieved  to  say,  terminated  my  con- 
nection with  the  Humbert  Case. 


XII 

THE  BLACK  POPE 

I  MUST  be  pardoned  if  I  exercise  a  certain  reserve 
in  telling  the  story  of  the  most  delicate  of  all  the 
affairs  in  which  I  have  been  engaged.  While  the 
interests  concerned  were,  in  their  own  nature,  purely 
political,  the  fact  that  they  centred  round  the 
spiritual  Head  of  Christendom  imposes  on  me  re- 
straints which  I  am  bound  to  recognise. 

I  cannot  recall  at  this  moment  whether,  in  the 
course  of  these  reminiscences,  I  have  had  occasion 
to  mention  that  I  was  honoured  on  several  occasions 
by  the  confidence  of  the  illustrious  Pontiff  who,  in 
the  course  of  less  than  a  generation,  exalted  the 
Papacy  to  a  height  of  power  and  reverent  esteem 
such  as  it  had  scarcely  enjoyed  since  the  Middle 
Ages. 

To  me,  as  to  all  who  have  paid  any  attention  to 
the  history  of  their  own  times,  the  passing  away  of 
Leo  XIII.  marked  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  I  was  in  Paris,  awaiting  the  announcement 
which  would  plunge  two  continents  into  mourning, 

288 


THE  BLACK  POPE  289 

when,  an  hour  before  the  fatal  bulletin  reached  the 
newspaper  offices,  I  received  a  despatch  desiring  me 
to  start  immediately  for  Rome,  and  wait  upon  the 
young  King  of  Italy  in  the  Palace  of  the  Quirinal. 

Whether  in  consequence  of  my  connection  with 
the  Vatican  or  not,  it  happened  that  I  had  never 
been  directly  employed  in  the  service  of  the  House 
of  Savoy.  I  have  told  the  story  of  my  unavailing 
efforts  to  save  the  life  of  King  Humbert ;  but  on 
that  occasion  I  acted  as  the  agent  of  the  friendly 
monarch  of  another  country. 

During  my  journey  to  Rome  in  obedience  to  the 
royal  summons,  my  mind  was  deeply  exercised  by 
the  problem  presented  by  the  disastrous  breach 
between  the  Italian  Kingship  and  the  Papacy. 

When  the  troops  of  Victor  Emmanuel  I.,  thirty-four 
years  ago,  marched  into  the  City  of  the  Popes,  to 
make  it  the  capital  of  United  Italy,  no  one  foresaw 
the  difficulties  which  would  flow  from  the  refusal 
of  the  Popes  to  abandon  their  rights  as  the  tem- 
poral Sovereigns  of  Rome  and  the  States  of  the 
Church. 

Other  dethroned  sovereigns  have  fled  from  their 
lost  dominions,  and  gradually  sunk  out  of  sight.  But 
the  Popes,  seated  in  the  Vatican,  and  solemnly  ex- 
communicating the  dynasty  which  has  displaced 
them,  have  rendered  insecure  the  whole  fabric  of 
the  Italian  monarchy. 

T 


290         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  myself,  divided  between  my  political  sympathies 
as  an  American  citizen,  and  my  loyalty  as  a  Catholic 
to  the  Head  of  my  Church,  had  often  sought  in  vain 
for  some  way  of  reconciling  the  venerable  rights  of 
the  Chair  of  Peter  with  the  patriotic  aspirations  of 
the  Italian  people. 

The  various  solutions  put  forward  from  time  to 
time,  such  as  the  cession  to  the  Pope  of  a  small  slice 
of  territory  including  the  Vatican,  seemed  to  me 
inadequate  and  mean.  Some  loftier  treatment  of 
the  situation  seemed  to  be  called  for,  but  no  states- 
man, ecclesiastical  or  secular,  had  yet  been  found 
to  propose  it. 

Now,  with  the  accession  of  a  new  Pope,  it  was 
possible  to  indulge  hopes  of  a  new  policy.  I  en- 
couraged myself  to  believe  that  Victor  Emmanuel  II. 
had  sent  for  me  that  I  might  assist  him  in  such  an 
endeavour. 

The  character  of  this  young  ruler  had  already 
aroused  my  interest  and  curiosity.  In  his  father's 
lifetime  he  was  unknown  to  the  public  until  he  sud- 
denly stepped  into  the  foreground,  at  the  time  of  the 
Abyssinian  disasters,  as  the  determined  opponent  of 
Crispi's  policy  of  adventure,  and  the  champion  of 
peace. 

Since  his  accession  he  had  won  golden  opinions  by 
his  modesty,  benevolence,  and  practical  energy  in  the 
work  of  government.     But  he  had  as  yet  given  no 


THE  BLACK  POPE  291 

indications  of  any  marked  individuality  or  policy  of 
his  own. 

Within  an  hour  of  my  arrival  in  Rome  I  found 
myself  in  his  Majesty's  presence. 

His  reception  of  me  was  not  merely  gracious  but 
cordial.  In  a  few  well-chosen  words  he  thanked 
me  for  my  services  at  the  time  of  the  tragedy  of 
Monza. 

'I  believe  you  have  been  employed  in  the  secret 
service  of  the  Vatican  ? '  King  Victor  proceeded, 

I  bowed  again, 

'Will  you  tell  me  whether  that  constitutes  any 
obstacle  to  your  serving  me  ? '  he  inquired. 

I  hesitated. 

'  I  should  feel  embarrassed  if  your  Majesty  were  to 
ask  me  to  act  against  the  Vatican/  I  ventured  to 
say. 

'  But  suppose  I  were  to  ask  you  to  undertake  the 
office  of  mediator,  to  promote  a  reconciliation  between 
the  Papacy  and  the  Italian  nation  ? ' 

'Then,  sire,  you  would  be  offering  me  the  task 
which  I  covet  above  all  others,  and  which  I  should 
feel  to  be  the  crown  of  my  career.' 

The  young  King  made  a  gesture  of  delight. 

'  That  is  fortunate  indeed !  Listen,  monsieur  i 
From  a  boy  my  heart  has  bled  at  the  thought  of  this 
miserable  estrangement,  so  fraught  with  danger  to  the 
cause  of  religion  as  well  as  to  the  national  freedom. 


292         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

In  addition  I  must  tell  you  that  I  feel  very  deeply  my 
own  position.  I  have  a  conviction  that  our  House 
cannot  prosper  while  it  remains  under  the  curse  of 
the  Church. 

'  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,'  Victor  Emmanuel  went 
on,  '  there  is  no  sacrifice  I  am  not  prepared  to  make, 
even  to  the  laying  down  of  my  crown,  in  order  to  win 
the  forgiveness  of  the  Holy  See,  and  to  establish 
Sfood  relations  between  the  Church  and  the  nation. 
But  I  need  not  say  that  I  can  do  nothing  by  myself. 
Unless  I  can  succeed  in  carrying  the  Parliament  and 
the  people  with  me,  I  should  simply  make  things 
worse  than  they  are  at  present.' 

His  Majesty  paused  for  a  minute,  and  then 
resumed,  watching  my  face  anxiously. 

'  I  have  been  seeking  for  years  for  some  means  of 
appeasing  the  Holy  Father  that  would  not  be  rejected 
by  the  secular  politicians.  And  the  plan  which  has 
developed  itself  in  my  mind  is  this : — 

'In  the  Middle  Ages,  perhaps  I  need  not  remind 
you,  the  Popes  enjoyed  but  a  scanty  authority  in  the 
Roman  States.  Their  authority  was  defied  by  the 
usurping  barons,  and  even  in  the  City  of  Rome  they 
frequently  saw  authority  exercised  by  the  senate  and 
people.  Yet  at  the  very  same  epoch  they  were 
wielding  tremendous  powers  over  Europe ;  they  were 
able  to  dethrone  emperors ;  a  King  of  England  laid 
down  his  crown  at  the  feet  of  a  Papal  Legate ;  and 


THE  BLACK  POPE  293 

the  Kings  of  Naples  acknowledged  the  suzerainty  of 
the  Popes  by  an  annual  tribute.' 

I  began  to  see  what  was  coming,  and  testified  my 
admiration  by  a  glance. 

'I  propose,'  King  Victor  said  impressively,  'to 
acknowledge  the  Holy  Father  as  the  suzerain  of  the 
Italian  kingdom.  I  am  prepared  to  lay  my  crown  at 
his  feet,  and  to  receive  it  again  as  his  gift.  I  propose 
to  hold  myself  as  the  vassal  of  his  Holiness,  to  pay 
a  tribute,  instead  of  the  pension  which  has  been 
refused,  and  to  exercise  my  power  of  veto  over  legis- 
lation in  obedience  to  the  Pope's  directions.  In 
short,  I  am  willing  to  efface  myself,  and  to  govern 
Italy  as  the  deputy  of  the  Holy  See.' 

I  listened  with  deep  emotion  to  the  noble  young 
King  as  he  unfolded  his  scheme,  a  scheme  in  which 
it  was  evident  that  he  intended  himself  to  be  the 
sacrifice  which  would  procure  peace.  At  the  same 
time  I  perceived  certain  difficulties  in  the  way.  The 
successors  of  St.  Peter,  in  modern  times  at  all  events, 
had  been  accustomed  to  rule  over  their  limited 
dominions  as  absolute  monarchs.  Was  it  to  be  hoped 
that  they  would  consent  to  accept  a  constitutional 
authority  in  exchange,  even  though  that  authority 
extended  over  the  whole  peninsula  ? 

Yet  the  Sec  of  Rome,  as  suzerain  of  Italy,  would 
be  able  to  re-enter  the  field  of  international  politics 
as   a   great   Power.    Alliances  might  follow   which 


294         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

would  place  the  Pope  in  tlie  position  of  president 
over  a  great  Catholic  league  embracing  Austria, 
Spain,  Portugal,  Belgium,  and  possibly  France  as 
well,  to  say  nothing  of  the  powerful  leverage  which 
the  Church  was  able  to  exercise  over  the  policy  of 
semi-Catholic  powers,  such  as  Germany,  Great  Britain, 
and  the  United  States. 

'Carried  away  by  these  dazzling  visions,  I  ex- 
claimed aloud — 

'  I  believe  in  your  Majesty  1  If  only  the  new  Pope 
will  accept  your  plans  ! ' 

King  Victor  flushed  with  gratification  at  my  out- 
burst. 

'  That  is  the  task  I  am  going  to  intrust  to  you,' 
he  announced.  'I  have  made  careful  inquiries, 
and  I  believe  there  is  one  Cardinal  who,  if  he 
were  elected,  would  be  likely  to  welcome  my  over- 
tures.' 

*  And  his  name,  sire  ? ' 

'  Cardinal  Sarto,  the  Patriarch  -  Archbishop  of 
Venice.' 

My  face  fell.  I  had  scarcely  heard  of  his  Eminence 
of  Venice  by  name.  Certainly  he  was  not  among 
those  cardinals — the  Papabili,  as  they  are  termed — 
whose  candidature  was  taken  seriously  by  the  ecclesi- 
astical politicians  of  the  Vatican. 

'Is  Cardinal  Sarto  a  possible  candidate,  sire?'  I 
ventured  to  object. 


THE  BLACK  POPE  295 

'  You  must  make  him  so,'  King  Victor  said 
earnestly.     '  I  rely  on  you  to  secure  his  election.' 

Although  not  lacking  in  self-confidence,  I  shrank 
before  this  tremendous  task.  Apart  from  my 
scruples  as  a  Catholic — and  I  was  by  no  means  sure 
how  far  it  was  lawful  for  a  layman  to  interfere  in  a 
Papal  election — I  doubted  my  power  to  influence  the 
choice  of  the  Sacred  College  in  the  short  time  at  my 
disposal. 

'  In  ten  days  from  now  the  Conclave  will  begin,'  I 
murmured  reflectively. 

'  I  know  it,'  broke  in  Victor  Emmanuel.  *  I  want 
you  to  be  present  in  the  Conclave  as  my  secret 
agent.' 

I  trembled.  The  secrecy  of  the  Conclave  is  guarded 
with  the  greatest  care.  In  what  way  could  I  possibly 
gain  admission  to  the  private  deliberations  of  the 
Cardinals  ? 

The  King  answered  my  unspoken  doubts. 

'  In  ten  days  the  Cardinals  will  enter  the  Conclave, 
each  with  a  single  attendant,  and  the  door  will  be 
walled  up,  not  to  be  reopened  until  Christendom 
again  has  a  Pope.  It  is  necessary  for  you  to  be  inside 
that  walled-up  door.' 

'  I  must  enter  in  the  character  of  attendant  to  one 
of  the  Cardinals  ! '  I  exclaimed. 

'  You  must  enter  as  the  servant  of  Cardinal  Salva- 
tierra,'  his  Majesty  declared. 


296         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  frowned  slightly.  It  seemed  to  me  that  my 
employer,  in  his  enthusiasm,  was  going  a  little  too 
fast.  I  did  not  like  having  so  much  arranged  for  me 
in  advance.  This  Cardinal  Salvatierra,  who  was  he ; 
and  in  what  way  had  he  come  to  lend  himself  to  the 
purpose  of  the  King  of  Italy  ? 

'  Does  the  Cardinal  enjoy  your  Majesty's  confidence?' 
I  asked  drily. 

'  Not  in  the  sense  that  you  do,  Monsieur  V ,' 

the  King  answered.  'Salvatierra  is  one  of  the 
ornamental  members  of  the  College.  He  is  a  scholar 
and  antiquarian,  not  a  Churchman  or  politician.  His 
collection  of  intaglios  is  said  to  be  the  finest  in 
Rome.' 

'  May  I  venture  to  ask  how  much  his  Eminence 
has  been  told  ? ' 

'  Only  that  I  desire  the  election  of  a  Pope  who  will 
be  well  disposed  towards  Italy.  It  has  always  been 
customary  for  the  Sacred  College  to  receive  repre- 
sentations from  the  Catholic  Powers  of  their  views 
and  wishes  on  the  subject  of  Papal  election.  The 
only  irregularity  in  this  case  is  that,  as  the  Italian 
kingdom  is  not  recognised  by  the  Papacy,  I  can  only 
communicate  with  the  College  indirectly.' 

I  listened  to  his  Majesty  with  considerable  inward 
misgiving.  I  was  more  than  a  little  afraid  of  the 
guilt  I  might  be  incurring  by  entering  the  Conclave. 
At  the  same  time  I  told  myself  that  Cardinal  Salva- 


I  found  tlie  Cardinal  absorbed  in  tlic  insiic-clinii  uf  liis  nc«ly 
arrived  treasures." 


THE  BLACK  POPE  297 

tierra  had  a  right  to  introduce  whom  he  pleased  as 
his  attendant ;  and  if  he  was  satisfied  to  take  me,  it 
was  not  for  me  to  raise  objections. 

After  some  further  conyersation  with  his  Majesty, 
I  retired  to  a  hotel  and  effected  a  transformation 
which  gave  me  the  appearance  of  a  respectable  upper 
servant,  such  as  a  steward  or  valet,  in  an  Italian 
noble  family.  Thus  attired,  I  made  my  way  round 
to  the  Salvatierra  Palace,  and  sent  up  my  name  to 
his  Eminence  as  Jacopo  Luigi. 

'  I  doubt  if  his  Eminence  will  receive  you  to-night,' 
the  porter  informed  me.  *  A  case  of  exquisite  cameos 
of  untold  value  has  just  arrived  for  his  collection — a 
gift  from  some  great  personage,  I  believe;  and  his 
Eminence  is  hard  at  work  unpacking  them.' 

I  had  my  own  suspicion  as  to  the  source  of  this 
truly  regal  offering,  and  felt  more  than  ever  uneasy  as 
to  the  lawfulness  of  my  proceedings. 

However,  it  was  not  long  before  a  message  came 
down  that  I  was  to  go  up  and  wait  upon  his  Eminence 
at  once. 

I  found  the  Cardinal  absorbed  in  the  inspection 
of  his  newly  arrived  treasures.  Holding  a  delicate 
camel's-hair  brush  in  one  hand,  he  was  going  over 
the  cameos,  carefully  removing  every  speck  of  dust 
and  holding  them  up  to  the  light  in  search  of  possible 
blemishes. 

His  Eminence  was  a  tall,  stately  personage,  refined 


298         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

and  ascetic  in  feature,  with,  a  faded  blue  eye  whicli 
fell  on  me  with  an  expression  of  the  most  complete 
indifference. 

'You  are  Jacopo  Luigi,'  he  observed,  glancing 
towards  a  letter  which  lay  open  on  a  pier-table. 
'My  nephew.  Count  Baldachino,  recommends  you 
to  me  very  strongly.  He  says' — the  Cardinal  in- 
terrupted himself  to  scrutinise  a  fresh  gem  with  the 
minutest  care — '  he  says  that  you  are  thoroughly  dis- 
creet and  faithful.  You  understand  the  particular 
necessity  for  discretion  in  my  service,  no  doubt  ? ' 

He  took  his  eye  off  the  cameo  for  an  instant,  to 
dart  a  glance  at  me,  so  keen  and  penetrating  that  it 
was  as  if  a  hidden  man  had  suddenly  sprung  to  the 
window  and  looked  out.  Before  I  could  respond,  the 
Cardinal's  back  was  turned  to  me  again,  and  he  was 
dusting  away  harder  than  ever. 

'  I  perfectly  understand.  Eminence,'  I  muttered. 

'That  is  quite  right,  then.  I  take  you  into  my 
service.  At  a  salary  of  800  lire.  Introduce  yourself 
to  the  master  of  my  household.' 

These  sentences  were  punctuated  by  eager  move- 
ments, as  his  Eminence  proceeded  in  his  examination 
of  the  newly  arrived  treasures. 

I  waited  for  more,  but  finding  that  the  Cardinal 
had  apparently  forgotten  my  presence,  in  his  anti- 
quarian enthusiasm,  I  moved  towards  the  door  and 
withdrew. 


THE  BLACK  POPE  299 

I  need  not  describe  the  household.  I  found  myself 
received  at  first  with  the  jealousy  natural  on  the  part 
of  old  servants  towards  a  new  comer,  but  I  soon  got 
on  good  terms  with  those  whom  I  wished  to  con- 
ciliate. 

From  the  gossip  of  the  servants'  hall  I  gathered 
many  important  hints  about  the  forthcoming  election. 

Had  merit  only  been  considered,  the  long  and  im- 
portant services  of  Cardinal  Rampolla  would  have 
given  him  a  paramount  claim  on  the  tiara.  But  his 
strength  of  character  had  aroused  the  dread  of  those 
Cardinals  who  consider  that  a  weak  Pope  means  a 
powerful  College,  and  vice  versd. 

Various  other  names  were  being  talked  about  as 
popular  candidates,  but  among  them  I  did  not  once 
catch  that  of  King  Victor's  nominee,  the  saintly, 
simple-hearted  Archbishop  of  Venice, 

Each  of  the  two  great  Mendicant  Orders,  the 
Dominicans  and  Franciscans,  had  its  favourite,  for 
whom  the  brethren  were  eagerly  working.  But  I 
could  not  learn  the  name  of  any  Cardinal  who  was 
being  supported  by  the  ubiquitous  and  powerful 
Company  of  Jesus. 

This  was  in  itself  a  suspicious  sign.  The  jealousy 
— perhaps  I  ought  to  say  the  fear — of  the  Jesuits 
entertained  by  the  ordinary  hierarchy  of  the  Church 
is  so  intense  that  in  all  probability  if  the  Jesuits  had 
shown  their  hand  by  openly  supporting  a  particular 


300         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

Cardinal,  that  would  have  been  enough  to  ensure  his 
exclusion. 

I  could  only  surmise  that  they  were  working  in 
the  dark,  or,  perhaps,  waiting  for  the  opportunity  to 
intervene  and  turn  the  scale  between  the  final  candi- 
dates. 

As  soon  as  the  obsequies  of  Leo  XIII.  had  been 
duly  performed,  the  Cardinals  in  solemn  procession 
entered  the  Hall  of  the  Conclave,  and  the  doors  were 
locked. 

Inside  the  vast  chamber  a  small  wooden  cell,  just 
largre  enough  to  contain  a  narrow  bed  and  a  chair,  had 
been  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  each  Cardinal. 

The  occupation  of  these  tiny  compartments  was 
decided  by  lot,  so  it  will  be  understood  that  I  ex- 
perienced a  sensation  of  uneasy  surprise  on  finding 
that  Cardinal  Salvatierra  had  obtained  the  cubicle 
adjoining  that  of  the  Patriarch  of  Venice. 

I  do  not  feel  myself  at  Hberty  to  violate  the  secrecy 
of  the  Conclave  by  relating  minutely  the  steps  which 
I  took  to  secure  support  for  Cardinal  Sarto.  I  ob- 
tained a  few  votes  in  the  first  ballot,  but  not  enough 
to  afford  any  promise  of  ultimate  success. 

Cardinal  Rampolla  struck  his  first  and  last  blow. 
He  polled  his  full  number  of  votes,  and  fell  short  of 
the  requisite  two-thirds  majority.  Then  realising  that 
the  jealousy  of  his  great  powers  was  too  strong  to  be 
overcome,  he  retired  from  the  contest. 


THE  BLACK  POPE  301 

This  left  the  field  open  to  the  two  rival  Mendicant 
Orders.  Their  nominees,  whom  I  think  it  more 
respectful  not  to  name,  polled  vote  for  vote,  but 
neither  could  command  anything  like  the  number  of 
suffrages  required. 

It  appeared  likely  that  the  Conclave  would  last 
some  time.  In  the  second  ballot  I  was  surprised 
to  find  that  a  fair  number  of  votes  was  given  to 
my  supposed  master.  Cardinal  Salvatierra  appeared 
equally  surprised,  and  a  little  annoyed  by  this  cir- 
cumstance. 

'I  wish  they  would  ignore  me,'  he  said  testily, 
when  I  brought  him  his  dinner.  '  They  know  I  am 
not  a  possible  Pope,  and  they  will  injure  me  with  the 
successful  candidate.' 

I  said  nothing,  but  an  idea  was  already  germinating 
in  my  mind.  Before  the  next  scrutiny  I  waited  with 
the  utmost  secrecy  upon  the  two  Cardinals  who  were 
managing  the  election  on  behalf  of  the  Dominicans 
and  Franciscans  respectively. 

To  each  of  their  Eminences  I  said  practically  the 
same  thing. 

'You  cannot  succeed  in  carrying  your  nominee. 
Neither  can  your  rivals.  Meanwhile  the  Jesuits  are 
secretly  preparing  to  gather  in  the  scattered  votes 
and  concentrate  them  on  their  own  candidate.' 

*  Who  is  that  ? '  was  the  eager  question  I  received 
in  each  case. 


302         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'You  will  see  in  the  next  scrutiny.  Unless  you 
stand  firm,  and  refuse  to  accede,  you  will  have  a 
Jesuit  Pope.' 

This  threat  was  necessary,  because  when  a  candi- 
date obtains  so  large  a  proportion  of  votes  as  to  make 
his  election  seem  certain  at  the  next  ballot,  it  is  a 
very  usual  thing  for  the  supporters  of  the  beaten 
candidates  to  go  over  at  once,  in  order  to  have  the 
credit  of  voting  for  the  new  Pope. 

The  next  scrutiny  was  taken.  The  name  of  Sal- 
vatierra  came  out  high  upon  the  list,  wanting  only 
four  votes  of  the  two-thirds  majority.  The  Franciscan 
and  Dominican  Cardinals  stood  firm.  But  the  un- 
suspecting Archbishop  of  Venice,  who  did  not  dream 
that  his  own  candidature  was  anything  but  a  side 
manoeuvre,  earnestly  implored  his  own  few  supporters 
to  accede  to  Salvatierra,  and  thus  complete  the  election 
of  a  Pope. 

Fortunately  I  had  anticipated  this  action  on  his 
part,  and  had  obtained  the  most  binding  pledges 
from  the  few  Cardinals  I  had  won  over.  There  was 
no  election,  and  Salvatierra  returned  to  his  cell, 
unable  to  conceal  his  mortification. 

'  Luigi,'  he  said  to  me  that  night, '  you  have  seen 
how  things  are  going.  Against  my  will  I  am 
destined  to  receive  the  tiara.  This  places  us  both 
in  a  different  position.  You  have  done  your  best 
to  serve  the  personage  who  desired  me  to  take  you 


THE  BLACK  POPE  303 

into  my  service,  and  it  is  not  your  fault  that  you 
have  failed  to  secure  the  election  of  a  pro-Italian 
Cardinal,  Now  I  can  place  it  in  your  power  to 
achieve  the  same  end  by  another  means.  If  you 
will  give  me  the  King's  votes  in  the  next  ballot, 
I  will  pledge  myself  to  negotiate  in  a  friendly  and 
liberal  spirit  for  the  settlement  of  the  differences 
between  the  Papacy  and  the  Kingdom,' 

'Your  Eminence  can  escape  from  the  burden  of 
the  triple  crown/  I  replied,  with  affected  simplicity, 
'by  causing  your  own  supporters  to  accede  to  any 
one  of  the  other  candidates.' 

'You  mean  to  Cardinal  Sarto,'  his  Eminence  re- 
torted, '  You  do  not  suppose  that  my  friends  would 
elect  a  Dominican  or  Franciscan  puppet  ?     Let  me 

warn  you,  my  dear  Signer  Luigi,  or  Monsieur  V , 

that  the  Cardinal  on  whom  your  master  places  his 
reliance,  is  not  strong  enough  to  carry  out  the 
reconciliation  you  desire.  Guiseppe  Sarto  is  a  saint, 
not  a  statesman.' 

I  felt  there  was  some  truth  in  this  warning,  but 
I  had  my  instructions,  and  I  could  not  in  this 
case  look  beyond  them.  I  promised  to  weigh  his 
Eminence's  words,  and  retired  to  sound  the  feeling 
of  the  Conclave. 

I  found  that  the  election  was  already  virtually 
decided.  The  extraordinary  leap  upward  of  Salva- 
tierra,  following  on  my  warning,  had  convinced  the 


304         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

two  Mendicant  Orders  of  their  danger.  They  had 
communicated  their  own  fears  and  suspicions  to  the 
rest  of  the  College,  and  the  fatal  whisper— 'The 
Jesuit  candidate ' — had  already  run  round  the  Con- 
clave. The  two  Orders  having  agreed  to  withdraw 
their  champions,  there  remained  only  one  candidate 
in  the  field. 

At  the  next  ballot  Cardinal  Sarto,  the  nominee  of 
the  excommunicated  King  of  Italy,  was  triumphantly 
elected  Pope. 

The  amazement  of  the  saintly  prelate,  who  had 
remained  in  profound  ignorance  of  the  whole  of  the 
negotiations  and  intrigues,  softened  the  hearts  of 
even  his  rivals,  and  convinced  the  most  worldly- 
minded  of  the  electors  that  they  had  involuntarily 
made  the  right  choice. 

Salvatierra  was  the  first  to  offer  the  kiss  of 
homage  to  his  new  sovereign.  His  Eminence's 
parting  words  to  myself  as  we  quitted  the  Conclave 
made  me  fear  that  my  triumph  was  more  apparent 
than  real. 

'You    have    chosen    the  White   Pope,  Monsieur 

V .     It  remains  to  see  how  you  will  fare  at  the 

hands  of  the  Black  Pope.' 

He  returned. to  his  palace  and  his  curiosities,  to 
all  appearance  well  contented  to  resume  his  rSle 
of  harmless  antiquary. 

But  I  did  not  doubt  that  a  full  report  of  all  that 


THE  BLACK  POPE  305 

had  passed  would  be  laid  at  once  before  the  for- 
midable personage  with  whose  opposition  he  had 
threatened  me. 

In  a  villa  a  short  distance  outside  the  walls  of 
Rome  resides  an  ascetic  recluse,  never  seen  in  any 
public  ceremonies,  visited  only  from  time  to  time 
by  a  few  quietly  dressed  priests  and  laymen,  to  all 
appearance  as  insignificant  as  himself  This  is  the 
Black  Pope — in  other  words,  the  General  of  the 
Company  of  Jesus. 

Yery  soon  after  the  election  of  Pius  X,  I  applied 
for  and  obtained  a  private  interview  with  his 
Holiness. 

My  previous  connection  with  the  secret  service  of 
the  Vatican  rendered  this  easy. 

To  no  one  but  the  Holy  Father  himself  did  I 
intend  to  reveal  my  character  as  the  agent  of  Victor 
Emmanuel  II. 

So  great  was  my  veneration  for  the  Vicar  of  Christ, 
so  intense  my  admiration  for  the  personal  character 
of  the  new  Pope,  that  I  had  determined  never  to 
confess  to  his  Holiness  the  part  which  I  had  played 
in  his  election,  lest  his  wrath  should  fall  upon  me  in 
consequence. 

As  I  knelt  before  Pius  X.  in  the  small  and  simply 
furnished  room  in  which  he  had  chosen  to  install 
himself,  I  saw  his  eye  fall  on  me  with  an  expression 
of  pity  and  curiosity. 

V 


306         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

'  You  do  well  to  kneel,  my  son,'  the  Holy  Father 
said,  in  a  low,  gentle  voice.  '  You  have  erred  very 
grievously.' 

I  looked  up  in  astonishment.  Pius  X. 
pointed  to  a  small  table  which  stood  beside  his 
chair. 

'  What  do  you  see  there  ? '  he  asked,  preserving  the 
same  tone  of  mild  reproof. 

I  glanced  at  the  table,  and  beheld  a  portion  of 
a  railway  ticket. 

'When  I  left  Venice  a  fortnight  ago,  I  took  a 
return  ticket,'  the  Pope  continued.  '  What  you  see 
is  the  half  which  I  am  never  going  to  use.  Take  it. 
It  will  be  a  souvenir  for  you,  and  may  remind  you 
to  beware  of  the  vanity  of  meddling  in  spiritual 
concerns.' 

Amazed  by  this  form  of  address,  I  rose  from  my 
knees,  and  respectfully  possessed  myself  of  the 
precious  keepsake,  which  I  thrust  into  my  inmost 
pocket. 

'  I  came  to  Rome,'  the  Holy  Father  pursued  calmly, 
'  without  other  hope  or  ambition  than  to  record  my 
vote  for  the  most  worthy  member  of  the  Sacred 
College.  Even  had  I  wished  to  be  Pope  I  should 
not  have  been  presumptuous  enough  to  put  myself 
forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  Chair  of  Saint 
Peter. 

'It  appears   that   there   were  others,  with   more 


"  Sad(lenf<i  and  sul)dueil,  I  ii'iittcd  tlic  audience  chamber  of  Tins  \. 


THE  BLACK  POPE  307 

worldly  motives,  who  entertained  ambitions  of  the 
kind.  For  my  part,  when  I  learned  that  some 
Cardinals  had  recorded  their  votes  for  me  I  had 
no  feeling  but  one  of  surprise  and  chagrin.  I 
suspected  that  I  was  being  used  as  a  stalking- 
horse  on  behalf  of  others.  I  could  not  dream  that 
a  layman  had  dared  to  interfere  in  the  election 
at  the  bidding  of  a  usurper  who  is  outside  the 
pale  of  Christian  fellowship,  under  the  curse  of 
the  Church ! ' 

I  trembled  as  I  perceived  that  some  one  had  been 
beforehand  with  me,  and  had  narrated  my  proceed- 
ings to  his  Holiness,  no  doubt  with  a  gloss  which 
had  caused  Pius  X,  to  take  the  worst  view  of  my 
action. 

'Fortunately  your  rash  and  evil  designs  were 
overruled  for  good.  Unknown  to  yourself,  you 
were  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  others.  While 
you  were  watching  you  were  watched.  Pious  and 
vigilant  men,  the  faithful  soldiers  of  the  Church 
Militant,  who  had  no  object  of  their  own  to  serve, 
and  who  only  sought  the  good  of  the  Church, 
were  aware  all  along  of  your  proceedings,  your 
true  employer,  and  his  secret  aims.  You  sought 
to  place  in  the  Chair  of  Peter  an  obedient  tool 
of  the  House  of  Savoy.  The  watchful  guardians 
of  the  Church  resolved  that  you  should  be  instru- 
mental   in    the    elevation    of    one    who,    however 


308  SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

unworthy,  is  at  least  free  from  the  passion  of  worldly 
ambition.' 

I  would  fain  have  spoken,  but  the  Holy  Father 
imposed  silence  on  me  by  a  stern  gesture. 

'The  candidature  of  his  Eminence  Cardinal 
Salvatierra  was  a  ruse,  to  which  the  zealous  persons 
I  speak  of  were  obliged  to  resort,  in  order  to  throw 
dust  in  your  eyes.  From  the  first  they  had  deter- 
mined to  ensure  my  election,  if  it  could  be  brought 
about  without  using  improper  means  of  influencing 
the  Sacred  College.  They  checkmated  you,  without 
your  perceiving  it. 

'  Now  you  may  go  and  tell  the  rash  young  King 
who  used  you  as  his  agent  that  his  designs  have 
miscarried.  I  sit  here,  neither  his  nominee  nor 
his  creature,  but  the  duly  chosen  Head  of  the 
Roman  Church,  and  I  call  upop  him  to  retire 
from  the  territories  bestowed  upon  the  Church  by 
Constantine.' 

I  listened  with  feelings  of  stupefaction  and  despair. 
The  story  which  had  been  told  the  Pope  was  so  nearly 
true  that  I  had  no  scope  for  contradiction;  it  had 
been  so  skilfully  coloured  that  I  realised  that  any 
attempt  at  explanation  or  denial  would  fail  of  its 
effect. 

In  fact  I  had  been  guilty  of  very  nearly  what  I 
stood  accused  of.  The  reproaches  of  Pius  X.  were 
an  echo  of  the  whispers  of  my  conscience.     I  had 


THE  BLACK  POPE  809 

elected  a  Pope,  but  my  presumption  in  doing  so 
had  made  that  very  Pope  an  enemy  of  the  sovereign 
whom  I  had  served  too  well. 

'  Will  your  Holiness  condescend  to  hear  me  ? '  I 
implored.     '  The  Jesuits ' 

'  Silence ! '  his  Holiness  commanded.  '  I  will  not 
Usten  to  a  word  against  those  devoted  men,  whose 
value,  and  whose  loyalty  to  the  Holy  See,  I  now 
understand  for  the  first  time.  If  your  master,  the 
King  of  Sardinia,^  desires  to  learn  the  conditions 
on  which  he  may  obtain  his  pardon  from  the  Holy 
See,  I  advise  him  to  apply  to — Cardinal  Salvatierra.' 

Cardinal  Salvatierra !  I  recalled  the  Cardinal's 
parting  words — '  You  have  chosen  the  White  Pope ; 
it  remains  to  see  how  you  will  fare  at  the  hands 
of  the  Black  Pope.' 

Saddened  and  subdued,  I  quitted  the  audience- 
chamber  of  Pius  X.,  and  repaired  to  that  of  Victor 
Emmanuel  11. 

'I  have  carried  out  your  Majesty's  instructions. 
Cardinal  Sarto  is  the  new  Pope.  And  now  I  can 
only  render  one  more  service  to  your  Majesty,  and 
that  is ' 

'And  that  is?'  the  King  exclaimed. 

'  To  advise  you  to  make  your  peace  with  the  Black 
Pope ! ' 

'  The  title  of  King  of  Italy  is  not  recognised  by  the  Vatican. — 
A.V. 


310         SECRET  HISTORY  OF  TO-DAY 

I  prefer  to  say  no  more.  It  would  be  imprudent 
on  my  part  to  embarrass  a  situation  already  bristling 
with  difficulties,  by  indicating  the  steps  which  still 
remain  to  be  taken  before  peace  can  be  restored 
between  the  two  mighty  powers  represented  by  the 
Vatican  and  the  QuirinaL 


"  Reminds  one  of  Cra7ifordy 

London  Telegraph. 

Laven 

der  and 

Old 

Lace 

By  MYRTui:  ri:i:d 

Author  of  "  The  Shadow 

of  Victory,"  "  Love  Letters  of  a 

Musician,"  etc.       12°. 

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which  senti" 
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as  the  most 
exalting  of 
emotions,  but 
without  the 
slightest  touch 
of  materialism 


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G.  P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS 

^ew  York  London 


THE  TERM  ' 

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